A Casualty of War
by Sith Lord Darth Revan
Summary: Complete AU: KOTOR Fanfiction that starts at the beginning of the Mandalorian wars and through the Jedi Civil War. Mainly centers around Revan and the reason he falls. Also the consequences of his actions...
1. Chapter 1: Distractions

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 1: Distractions

For two years the Mandalorians tore through the Republic unchallenged. The Republic forces scattered under the brutal onslaught of the Mandalores. In one month, that all changed. The jungle world of Onderon was one of the first to fall to the Mandalorians after they claimed its moon, Dxun as their own and all but enslaved the population of the world the moon orbited. The jungle world was also the first to be taken back from the Mandalorians. The Jedi had finally joined the war effort after two years of slaughter. The Mandalorians met the Jedi gladly, wanting to test themselves against the fables and mythic figures that had only heard tales of. Onderon fell from the Mandalorian's grasp in less than a week as the natives united and rebelled against their Mandalorian overlords. Dxun was another story. The Mandalorians seemed to have a deep connection to the jungle moon and did not give in. A brutal stalemate began in the thick jungles as the Jedi and Republic fought the Mandalorian warriors and the wildlife of Dxun. Onderon and Dxun had been what some would refer to as 'clean war.' The Mandalorians seemed to fixated on fighting the Jedi that the slaughter was reserved mainly to military Forces. The fact that Onderon had fallen so quickly and that Dxun was devoid of settlers helped that. Amidst the thousands of warriors and soldiers that fought against each other on that moon, one man stood out above all the others.

Silently, the armored man moved through the treetops, stalking his prey. Two brown eyes looked through his crimson and obsidian mask as a deep scowl lit his face. It had been six months now since the fighting on Dxun began and almost seven since the Jedi had joined the war effort and already the effect was evident. The constant advance of the Mandalorian juggernaut ground to a halt under the Jedi. The Mandalorians had become enthralled by the Jedi and their power, ignoring the Republic forces and attacking the Jedi head on. Of a hundred thousand Jedi in the galaxy at the time of Exar Kun, only about half that had survived the initial rift in the Jedi Order and only ten thousand had chosen to fight alongside Revan. The Jedi Knight watched twenty armored Mandalorians move swiftly through the thick jungle to their fortress and his scowl deepened.

_"Where are they off to in such a hurry"_

He wondered as he quietly leapt to another tree and followed them. The young Jedi Knight soon discovered where the Mandalorian warriors were heading when he caught sight of a Mandalorian fortress hidden in the deep jungles. Taking a moment to scout the area, the Jedi Knight found several anti-air defenses and what looked to be an orbital Ion cannon. Using the Force, Revan could feel that there were thousands of Mandalorian warriors resting and training within the buried fortress and he could faintly sense the shield that protected the base from aerial and orbital assault.

_"The only way in is on the ground..."_

This was the last stronghold the Mandalorians held on the moon. Onderon had since joined their fleet with the Republic's in orbit and had successfully cut off retreat and reinforcement to the Mandalorians on the moon. The 'Siege of Dxun' as it became known had been bloody and of nearly two hundred thousand Mandalorians that had inhabited the moon at the beginning, Revan estimated that only three or four thousand remained, entrenched in the fortress before him. Until this moment, the fortress had remained hidden and the Mandalorians had struck from their hidden base, leaving horrendous casualties amongst the Republic's ranks. Of nearly a thousand Jedi that took part in the battle, two hundred had fallen in the six months of guerilla warfare. Revan could not help but admire the determination of his enemy, though a foreign feeling of hatred slowly began burning in him each time he came upon the mangled corpses of his comrades.

_"No, I cannot hate. There is no emotion, there is peace."_

Revan recited in his mind, using the Jedi Code to calm him, though it brought forth a new anger. Revan had met the Mandalorians on the battlefield and had seen firsthand what the Jedi Council refused to see, he knew that the Mandalorians were too strong for the Republic to stand against alone. The Basilisk war droids alone were too fast, too agile for the Republic gunners and fighters to shoot down. Only a Jedi could track and destroy the nimble Mandalorian craft effectively and even then with some difficulty. The twenty year old Jedi Knight moved to activate his homing beacon on his wrist communicator before he suddenly stopped, pulling his hand away from the activation switch.

_"No, if I do that, they'll trace it and be on me in an instant."_

Of the eight hundred Jedi that remained, only a few dozen would be nearby to answer to the call and even Jedi could not stand against the thousands of Mandalorians Revan sensed within the base. Making a quick decision, the Jedi lowered himself from his perch on the tree overlooking the Mandalorian base and used the Force to speed his return to the Republic base camp.

_"I can recall the Jedi spread over this moon and we can bring our full force along with the Republic forces to bear on the Mandalorians."_

Revan winced slightly at the mental picture of the Republic forces on the moon. To say that they were pitiful would be an understatement. The men had arrived in the first days of the fighting without reinforcement due to some foolish debate in the Senate as to the cost and effectiveness of the lengthy siege. Revan snorted in disgust at the short-sightedness of the Senate. The Mandalorians had lost thousands of men and dozens of ships trying to break through the Republic blockade and though the Republic had lost nearly twice as many men on the moon than the Mandalorians, the losses in space were far more to the Republic's favor and the victory, the total destruction and defeat of the Mandalorian forces on the moon would be a symbol to the Mandalorians of the Jedi's resolve. What better way to break your enemy's will than to take what they have claimed as their own, to take the moon that the fierce, armored warriors had seemed to call their home. With pride as great as the Mandalorian's it would be a slap in the face and it would severely break their morale to know that their stronghold had fallen to the Republic. It would also show the Mandalorians the effect the Jedi could have on the war.

Sighing in frustration, Revan ran the countless battle plans through his mind, too distracted to notice the perimeter sensor he had tripped, or the ten Mandalorians that stalked him expertly within the cloak of their stealth fields. One man cannot bear the full burden of a war, or even a battle and this was to become painfully clear to Revan. Warriors and soldiers cannot suffer distractions on the battlefield and as Revan planned for the coming battle, he was ignorant of the one that was already upon him.

The Force screamed a warning to Revan as the Jedi's eyes widened in surprise. Revan ducked below the invisible strike of the Mandalorian's vibroblade, pulling his lightsaber and activating its azure blade. The blade shot through the Mandalorian, tearing him cleanly in two as four other warriors appeared to challenge the Jedi Knight. Revan deflected the blaster fire that rained down on him from the distance, leaping to the treetops and slicing through the branches, allowing them to rain down on the Mandalorian warriors below.

_"I should have known they were coming, I should have been more mindful of the here and now."_

Revan's mind chastised himself. He could almost hear the voices of his Masters Kreia and Zhar joining the scolding as he leapt from the tree and descended on two dazed Mandalores. Revan chose to attack without his saber, kicking one Mandalore across his face and sending him to the ground and catching the other with his fist, knocking him unconscious. The Jedi had no wish to kill the Mandalorians, but he would if he had to. Vaulting himself from a tree trunk, Revan grasped a low hanging vine and rocketed to the treetops, away from his pursuers. The sound of a repulsor firing startled the young Jedi, who's main concern was escaping and relaying his position to his comrades. A Mandalorian swoop platform hovered above the treetops, carrying a dozen armored and burly warriors. The Mandalores immediately opened fire on the Jedi Knight and Revan was thrown to the ground by the concussion of a nearby explosion. The blaster bolts whizzed overhead as he lay on the ground, struggling to gain a painful intake of breath after the nearly twenty yard fall. Spots swam in the young Jedi's vision as he grunted with effort and pulled himself to his feet, feeling a blaster bolt tear through his thigh. Revan dropped to the ground and winced, reaching for his lightsaber, only to have a hard, metallic boot slam down onto his hand, no doubt shattering the brittle bones.   
"Over here"  
The Mandalorian shouted to his companions as several other Mandalores approached. Revan used the Force to dull the pain in his hand as he kicked the Mandalorian's legs out from under him and slammed his booted heel into the Mandalorian's throat, earning a sickening crack. The other Mandalorians gawked momentarily, stunned by the swift movement of the injured man before one raised his blaster rifle and fired a stun blast into the injured Jedi.

"Check him for comms and get him back to base camp."  
The Mandalorian's gruff voice snapped as two Mandalorians moved to disarm the armored Jedi. Revan's azure beamed saber was taken as a prize by one of the Mandalorians while his armor was stripped away, revealing the deep black of his Jedi robes. The Mandalorian captain at the base did a double take when his patrol and search team brought back a Jedi, not to mention which Jedi they brought back.

"Is that who I think it is"

The Mandalorian asked in disbelief as he looked over the armor that was taken away from the young man.

"He wears his armor anyways."

Another Mandalorian commented as he looked down in disbelief at the youthful features of the young man.  
"He's just a brat, I have a son as old as he... this is Revan"

The Mandalorians nodded silently as they allowed themselves to look on to the young Jedi in respect and awe.

"We lost four men out there to him."

A Mandalorian in crimson armor commented as he slowly lifted the demonic crimson and obsidian mask of the Jedi.

"Who'd we lose"

The Mandalorian captain asked as he examined the young Jedi laying on the floor of the Mandalorian compound.

"Intari, Daren, Harin and Amiel."

"Amiel"  
The captain asked in disbelief. The Mandalorian sergeant that spoke nodded.  
"He was the best we had here aside from his old man."

The next week was a blur for Revan as he was mercilessly beaten by an older Mandalorian. The murderous rage burning in the older man was easily sensed by the young Jedi as well as the pain in the man's aura. Revan knew then as he was beaten for what seemed to be the hundredth time that this man had shared a bond of some kind with one of those he had killed.

"Look at me when I talk to you, Jedi"  
The man hissed as he struck Revan across the face with his armored hand. Revan spat the blood, turning his eyes to the man with something resembling pity.

"I. Pity. You. Old. Man."

Revan said wearily through painfully earned breaths. He knew his ribs were broken and he felt as though every other bone in his body was following suit. Only the Force had kept him conscious during most of the beatings and he knew it frustrated his Mandalorian torturer to no end.

"Did you contact your Jedi friends"

The older man hissed, accompanying his question with a swift and hard punch to Revan's gut. Had he not been chained to the wall, Revan would have doubled over in pain. The Jedi coughed violently as he cursed the disruptor field that surrounded the room, weakening his connection to the Force. Just as the Mandalorian was about to strike again, the fortress shuddered violently under a powerful explosion. The base's alarmed blared loudly as the lighting flickered and shifted to red. A Mandalorian in yellow armor rushed into the room, tossing a blaster rifle to the older man.  
"Garr, the generator's been destroyed. Some Jedi got through our scanners and sabotaged it. We need to move. Now"

The younger Mandalorian shouted. The Mandalorian turned back to Revan and sneered as he pointed his blaster rifle at the young Jedi.  
"There's no time, the Republic and Jedi are destroying our turrets and overrunning our positions. Move it"

Growling in frustration, the Mandalorian fired a blast into Revan and took a moment to revel in the feeling of killing the man who had killed his son before rushing to battle. The younger Mandalorian gave the man a disapproving look before leading him to their defensive positions.

Revan's fists were clenched into tight fists as his face twisted in pain. The blaster bolt the Mandalore had fired had burned its way into his abdomen, causing the acid in his stomach to spill painfully forth and burn his insides. His legs would not move despite his body's wish to writhe in agony and his vision soon swam in red as he fought to remain conscious and reached to the Force to numb the pain, or heal it on some level. The Force disruptor was still firmly in place after the loss of power and Revan knew that any assault on the fortress would be bloody and likely draw out for hours. Opening his eyes, Revan saw the switch to the disruptor field and reached to the Force, feeling it as if it were an echo, calling to him. The switch tremored for a moment, but did not move and Revan snarled in frustration as the pain shot through him in another wave. The young Jedi took that moment to reflect on his captors, recalling the angry exchanged his captor had with other Mandalorians that had 'stopped by.' He recalled the disapproval in their tones though they always relented, stating it was his 'right' according to their code to seek retribution. Revan slowly felt a fire within him. One that did not burn through his abdomen and he curiously reached for it, realizing it was hatred. He did not hate the man who had tortured him, he pitied him. What he hated was something much less obvious. He hated the Jedi Council. Each and ever last one of the Twelve Masters. None of them knew what it was like on the battlefield. It was true some had fought against Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, but none, none had fought against the Mandalorians, had seen the ravaged worlds they left in their wake and all for some warrior code and glory. The ones that had fought, were so detached from what was going on to even recall what it had been like and scolded him in a condescending manner as to the evils of fighting.

"I hate them."

Revan struggled for his words as his vision darkened. He painfully shook his head as he looked down to the blood flowing freely from his stomach. How could they be so blind. The Mandalorians were slaughtering worlds to goad them into an attack. The Mandalorians wanted to fight the Jedi, so why keep them waiting? Revan knew that in a way he was giving the Mandalorians what they wanted, but what were his alternatives? To let another Cathar happen? He had seen the worlds the Mandalorians ravaged as a young Padawan, being sent on missions with his Master Kreia until she had finally had enough and left the order to try to help those worlds. He was later taken by Master Zhar and the Twilek had quickly proclaimed his ready for the trials of Knighthood. Revan's thoughts drifted to his friend, Malak and he wondered is his companion was here now, looking for him. He had known the tall Jedi Knight since they were both children and they had been like brothers, always causing trouble and always doing something to gain the ire of the Jedi Masters. A short laugh escaped Revan as he relived his childhood antics with his friend before his consciousness slipped and he fell to the peace that darkness offered him.

Revan awoke in a Kolto tank. His eyes burned as they made contact with the thick fluid and he panicked momentarily until the soreness of his body made him think otherwise. The Kolto drained and the mask that fed him oxygen slowly dropped away as he stood shakily in the empty cylinder. A hiss sounded as the glass casing lifted away and he was greeted by the face of a young Republic nurse. The woman smiled warmly as he bowed.

"It is good to see you conscious, Commander Revan."

She greeted with his Republic rank as she pulled a small scanner and ran it over his body. Revan frowned as the unpleasant and bitter smell of the Kolto hit his nose. The young nurse laughed as she saw this and set the scanner to the side.

"It looks like you've made a full recovery"  
She said cheerfully, too cheerfully for Revan's liking.  
"How many..."

Revan finally asked in a raspy voice, ignoring the nurse's confused frown.  
"How many what, Commander"  
The nurse asked in slight concern. A deep voice answered behind her, earning a startled yelp from the young woman.

"Forty Jedi and five thousand men."

Malak answered in a somber tone. The young nurse's carefree and happy expression instantly switched to a sad and solemn one as the two Jedi continued their conversation.  
"Why didn't you just bomb it from orbit"

Revan asked as he swallowed, ignoring the dryness in his throat and the crack in his voice. Malak looked at Revan for a moment, frowning.  
"We needed you, Revan. You are a symbol for all the Jedi that follow you and the victory on Dxun would not have happened without you. You led us to their hidden fortress, we felt you through the Force and planned for a week on the assault."

Malak answered, some annoyance in his tone.  
"I'm not worth it, Malak."

Revan answered after a moment's pause. Malak gave an uneasy laugh.

"Its not up to us, my friend."

Revan smiled slightly at the joke. It was in fact, not up to them. By decree of the Jedi Order, all the Jedi that had joined Revan to fight, or had gathered on Taris were cast out of the Order and treated as exiles. The Senate controlled nearly all actions within the Republic military, making their actions ineffective and dangerously slow.

"Where am I and how long has it been"

Revan asked after clearing his thoughts of his increasing annoyance at the Senate and the Jedi Council. The answer he received caused him to look at his friend as if he were mad.

"Dantooine"

Revan asked incredulously, his voice taking on its old sound. Malak nodded, unable to hold in his devious grin, it had been nearly a month since the battle had ended on Dxun.

"I thought that when you recovered, you'd like to speak at the Jedi Enclave. We could always use the support..."

Malak added as he looked at his friend. Revan nodded, taking a deep breath.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to shower and speak with the men."

The nurse had no objections, though she told the young Jedi and Republic Commander to rest. Revan brushed her warning away and conversed with the fleet commanders, pleased to hear that the Jedi and Republic had seemed to rally after hearing of his capture and the sad state he was found in. It seemed the Senate had approved his official status as a fleet commander and had incorporated the thousands of Jedi that had rallied behind Revan into their ranks. The Senate had ordered Revan to take two weeks of Recovery on Dantooine, which the young Jedi fervently protested. Malak had calmed Revan, commenting that his generals were not imbeciles and that the Republic wouldn't fall in two weeks. Revan had relented reluctantly and spend the first day of his forced vacation going over fleet movements and casualty reports. After only two days of going over the intelligence, Revan decided it was useless. The Mandalorians seemed to attack randomly, without any structure in their attacks. The assaults always brought panic to the Republic forces. Revan knew the Mandalorians used fear as their ally, it aided them just as much as their prowess in battle and their ability to remain cool and composed, stoic and detached from the horrors they unleashed on the battlefield brought a whole new meaning to the term, 'There is no Emotion.' Revan took one last look at the pile of datapads and holocrons before shaking his head, he'd have to restructure the entire Republic military and he'd have to find some way to incorporate the Jedi into those changes. Many would find it strange that a twenty year old man would be running the Republic's war effort, but Revan was no ordinary young man. The Jedi Knight had been a prodigy since he had joined the Order, absorbing all the techniques he was taught and drilling himself until he executed them with perfection. Revan was also frighteningly brilliant when it came to complex strategies and even subtle subterfuge. His ability to solve problems was almost legendary amongst his peers when he was a Padawan. He did not know what had driven him to fight the Mandalorians, he had to admit it did give him a thrill, a rush of adrenaline to fight, but he could do the same as a Jedi. He had tried to convince himself that he fought to uphold the Republic, but after only nine months in the war, Revan soon realized there was little to no strength in the Republic. They relied on numbers and leaned on the Jedi like a crutch. The young Jedi Knight found it pathetic to think about at times and soon threw his thoughts to recruiting more Jedi to fight along side him.

The sentiment in the Jedi Order to aid the Republic was vast, though to speak of it in the years following the war with Exar Kun and the rift that had formed in the Jedi Order was a taboo. The Jedi Council's word was law and the Council had so feared that another Exar Kun would rise that they began teaching their students to forsake all emotions. Compassion, love, anger, hate. They all seemed to lead to the darkside according to the Council. Though his professionalism as a Jedi was unmistakable, Revan often had his disagreements with the Jedi Council as to their slow response to the Mandalorian threat. All though his short life, the Mandalorians had burned the Outer Rim and the Jedi as well as the Republic ignored this. After seeing first hand what the Mandalorians did to those worlds, Revan began to speak out, unknowingly drawing other Jedi to him. The young man was charismatic and passionate when it came to his speeches and he could draw in hundreds to listen to him speak. Some even thought that Revan could persuade a Wookiee that he was an Ewok. The Jedi had split, as the Council feared. Going into battle against the Mandalorian threat only after they had burned through the Republic. Many individual Jedi had joined the Republic to fight the Mandalorians, but alone they were ineffective. Revan had somehow managed to convince thousands of Jedi to flock to the Republic in what many viewed as their darkest hour while the Jedi Council preached out against the evils of embracing war and fighting. Revan sneered as he thought of the countless arguments he had with the Council as to the morality of inaction. To do nothing was to allow the destruction to go on. All he had heard from the Council to back their decree were excuses, excuses that help little to no basis. The Jedi would vaguely comment on a hidden darkness or would speak cryptically as to the involvement of the Sith and how they needed to remain strong.

"How could they not see"

Revan snarled aloud as he walked the silent halls of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine.

"How can they not see that we weaken ourselves and invite destruction with pacifism."

Revan found that his fists were clenched into tight balls and that his footsteps were beginning to become unusually heavy. He had not taken the young Republic nurse's advice to rest and instead had spent the five days that had passed since his awakening catching up on what he had missed and going over what could be changed.

_"Its not as if I have a choice! Who else is going to handle things? The Senate? They are too busy stuffing their faces and their pockets with credits to see what is going on. The Council? They are too afraid to do anything. Fear leads to the darkside... hypocrites."  
_Revan growled as his face twisted in his anger. The whites of his eyes were nearly obscured by the bloodshot scarlet that shot through them. In contrast to his dark brown eyes against the red, Revan appeared menacing and it was no surprise that the few Jedi that passed by did not intrude on his dark thoughts. Even as a young boy, Revan had what some would call a traumatic life. No one had talked about it and no one really knew. Kreia, the Jedi Knight who had found Revan had never spoken of where she had found the boy who seemed to surpass any problem that crossed his path, all the Jedi knew was that there was a scar on the boy, a pain that seemed to rest within the Force. It was almost frightening that one so strong in the Force was not found until he was five years of age, but the Jedi ignored the implications, seeing his skills as a gift. It was strange to the Jedi that this boy, even young as he was and from whatever origins he possessed did not anger quickly or act rashly. Stranger still was his fervent belief that the Jedi should meet the Mandalorians head on and the anger that seemed to show itself after so many years of being denied. Revan had always been difficult at times when he disagreed with something, difficult as in he voiced his disagreement, but for hi to physically take action was something that totally shocked the Jedi Masters. Revan closed his eyes as the thoughts of his childhood flooded his mind.

_"How can any of them know what it feels like? To know that your own people are unleashing this kind of death and destruction while those that took you in allow them to destroy and murder."_

Revan closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. How could he tell anyone that he was a Mandalorian, born into their ranks and orphaned in his infancy. He couldn't, that was something even malak did not know. Only Kreia, the one who had found him, sought him out, had known and only because she had seen him with the Mandalorians on that destroyed world fifteen years before and had seen his potential and had taken him. A sickening feeling settled into Revan's stomach when he thought of the hundreds of thousands of Mandalorians that had died on Dxun and Onderon and his part in that.

_"To kill your own people... Jedi will never understand that."_

The fact that he shared much of the Mandalorian's belief in honor and glory and that the fighting seemed to boil in his blood was almost enough to drive him mad in the peaceful surroundings. His life until joining the Order had been a battle, difficult and unforgiving. He had developed an appreciation for that struggle in his childhood and the gap that formed during his time in the peaceful surroundings of the Jedi Order was what drove him, what drove him to be the best, the strongest and the smartest. If he could not prove himself on the battlefield, he would prove himself through his actions. Revan was so absorbed in his thoughts, that he did not notice the young girl walking directly towards him, immersed in a datapad. The Jedi Knight nearly tripped over the short child and let out a surprised 'oof' as he staggered and looked down into two burning azure pools. Revan was so transfixed on the two burning blue fires that he did not hear the indignant comment the girl threw at him or feel the girl's annoyance. All he saw were those eyes. The eyes were as blue as the oceans of Manaan, or the sky above Tatooine and they held an anger and pain that he felt almost mirrored his own pain and frustrations. The girl was fourteen or fifteen from what Revan saw when he was finally drawn away from her burning eyes by a finger jabbing into his chest.

"I said you could at least apologize for not watching where you were going"

The girl snapped in a rich and cultured core accent that Revan guessed was from either Talravin or Alderaan. Blinking several times, Revan looked over the girl and frowned slightly.  
"I'm sorry, Padawan. I should be more mindful in the future... but one has to wonder why you were not watching where you were going."

Revan felt a grin quirk on the edges of his mouth as the girl flushed bright red and stammered an apology as she realized he was a Jedi Knight by the lack of a Padawan's braid and the dark Jedi robes he wore. Revan laughed internally as he noticed the underlying frustration that was radiating from the young girl.

"There is no need to apologize young one."

She did indeed seem young despite the anger that seemed to be boiling under the girl's surface. Revan took a moment to look over the girl, noting her light brown hair that was much like his own and the ridiculously tight outfit the girl wore.

"Not exactly standard Jedi robes"

Revan commented, nearly bursting into laughter as the girl flushed even more. Revan offered the girl a bow, turning his head upward as a devious grin lit his face.

"I apologize for not watching where I was going, Milady. I hope I did not harm you with my carelessness."

A small smile played on the girl's face though she was still flushed and she returned the bow.

"I must be off to the auditorium now though, Padawan..."

Revan asked. The young girl's eyes widened slightly when she realized she had still not introduced herself and had scolded a Jedi Knight as if he were an initiate.

"Of- of course, sorry Master. Shan, Bastila Shan."

Revan smiled as he bowed once more.

"A pleasure to meet you, Padawan Shan, though I hope our next meeting will not be as dramatic."

Bastila giggled softly as she made a motion to retrieve her fallen datapad. Revan used the Force to lift the datapad and examined it for a moment, raising an eyebrow and looking at the girl.

"Battle Meditation? Aren't you a little young to be studying such an advanced technique"

Revan asked in a genuinely curious voice. Battle Meditation was nearly unheard of within the Order and only the most powerful of Jedi Master could even begin to use the advanced technique to any effective level. A small frown lit Bastila's face as she looked to the ground.

"My Master says I show great potential in that technique... though I find it difficult. It is just so..."

"Frustrating"

Revan asked quietly. Bastila looked up at him and nodded, the small frown deepening.  
"Yes, Master Vrook can be quiet... pushy when it comes to learning a technique."

Revan suddenly burst into laughter, holding his side as he fought for breath. Pausing for a moment, Revan took in the genuinely confused face of the young Padawan and the datapad still in his hand and fell into another fit of laughter. Bastila's confusion turned to anger as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at the young Jedi Knight before her that seemed to find so much humor in her plight.

"And what may I ask do you find so humourous, Knight"

Bastila hissed, causing Revan to cease his laughter and stiffen as he blinked several times at her. Taking a steadying breath, Revan shook his head as he handed the datapad to Bastila, who snatched it angrily.

"Its just that Battle Meditation is... well... unheard of for anyone who doesn't have more than three digits to their age. And if I know Master Vrook he is probably going on and on about how simple it should be for you to Master such a 'trivial' technique."

Bastila was silent for a moment, not knowing if she should take offense to the blatant disrespect for her Master or to laugh at the irony of his statement since that was indeed how Master Vrook had commented on her inability to perfect her Battle Meditation. After a moment of deliberation, Bastila decided to let the comment slide, choosing to sate her own curiosity.

"You said you are on your way to the auditorium... are you going to listen to Revan speak"  
A this innocent question, Revan could barely contain his laughter or the grin that fought to play on his face.

"Actually I was planning to see if I could talk some sense into a few of the Jedi there."  
Revan commented cryptically, enjoying the sudden lighthearted nature of the conversation, something he was definitely missing in recent months.

"Padawan"

A harsh voice scolded, cutting into the peace that had momentarily taken hold over Revan. Revan sighed, no longer amused by the mortification in Bastila's features. She would likely be scolded and punished by Vrook and all because he had been careless. Revan frowned and gave Bastila an apologetic look before beginning to walk away.

"Where do you think you are going, Exile"

Vrook all but snarled to Revan's back. Revan stopped and stiffened in reply, turning slowly so his eyes met Vrook's. He did not hate the man because of his attitude, or because of who he was, Revan hated the man because he was a member of the Jedi Council and was likely the most short-sighted of all of them.

_"Exile" _

Bastila thought in shock as she looked to the young man she had been speaking with for an explanation. The way the man carried himself was the same way a Jedi Master did, the confidence and skill seemed to scream at her as she looked on his young and handsome features. Revan sneered slightly as he looked into Vrook's eyes, satisfied when he noted the unnerved shift in the Jedi Master's as he looked back.

"I am going to speak with my peers, Master Lamar."

Revan replied formally and in a detached manner that seemed to enrage the Jedi Master further.

"You are not supposed to be here, Revan."

Bastila paled at the mention of the Jedi's name, she turned to see the young man's handsome but stern features shift to a stony glare. She had never seen such disrespect for a Jedi Master and yet she had never seen her own Master so angry, even when the young man seemed to invite her Master's ire. Revan smiled suddenly, catching Vrook and Bastila off guard.

"I suppose you don't like me taking your nerf"  
Revan commented sarcastically, motioning to the Jedi drones that passed by, struggling to ignore the slowly heating argument. Vrook sighed wearily as he brushed his hand over his face, looking at the outcast Jedi Knight.

"You made your decision when you went to war, Revan. You cannot be here."

"I never agreed to be cast aside and treated like a plague, Master"

Revan snarled. The frustration within him was slowly building as he glared at the older man, almost begging him to say the wrong thing. Suddenly, Revan's eyes moved to Bastila and a small frown played on his face. Turning back to Vrook, Revan swallowed his anger and pride and bowed to the Jedi.

"I suppose I should go where I am appreciated, may the Force be with you, Master Lamar."

Revan said as evenly as he could stomach without gagging on his own words. For some reason he was finding it increasingly difficult to respect the Jedi Councillors after seeing first-hand the condition the Republic was in. Seeing that Revan did not want to continue the argument, Vrook offered a small nod of dismissal and turned his attention to Bastila, who's eyes were following the young Jedi Exile.

"And how are your studies to progress if you listen to the foolish ideals of outcasts"

Vrook asked wearily. He was too tired to snap at his young charge and he remembered being young once. Bastila frowned and stammered an apology before collecting her datapads and scurrying off, away from the audience chambers.

"Do not let anger cloud your judgement, my friend."

Jedi Master Zhar commented to Vrook as he stepped around a corner, looking thoughtfully after Revan's retreating form. Vrook frowned but nodded, knowing he had invited Revan into the argument and that it was Revan who had chosen to end it, for Bastila's sake. Zhar watched his former student's retreat until Revan turned a corner en route to the audience chambers. The Twilek Master sighed and looked over to Vrook.

"You should not have interfered so quickly, I sensed a calm within Revan that I have not felt for many years when he spoke with young Bastila..."

Vrook sighed and nodded his agreement as he looked to where Revan had vanished.

"That's what I am afraid of."

Revan entered the auditorium and looked around to the twenty or so Jedi gathered there. He knew it was early and that more would come to hear him speak his case for why they should forsake years of training to fight, but he could not concentrate on that, his thoughts passed back to the young girl and the contentment he felt as he joked with her for that short time. Growling in frustration, Revan activated his wrist communicator.

"Malak"

After a pause, Malak's deep voice responded.

"Early are we"

Malak asked in a tone that did not hide the amusement he felt, though it was also laced with mild concern.

"Yea, do you think you could stop by my quarters and pick up a few holodisks for me"

"Not a problem."

Malak responded as Revan deactivated the comm. The former Jedi Knight sighed as he looked over to the curious faces of the Jedi gathered and cleared his throat, preparing to try to convince them to leave their lives behind.


	2. Chapter 2: Potential

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 2: Potential

"I thought it was supposed to be two weeks"

A young Jedi muttered as Revan stormed into a meeting room and looked around for a moment.

"Three days is enough, I heard that the Mandalorians are moving on Serreco"

Revan asked, getting straight to business. The young Jedi and general stared at his commander in silence before sighing.

"Revan, listen... you need to get some sleep, you can't run the war by yourself"

"And you can"

Revan spat venomously as he stalked over to the slightly older man.

"For three years I waited for someone to do something about it and for three years I watched billions die. If you are going to do something about this, then by all means, I won't stop you."

The Jedi blinked several times before bowing his head. It was true. No one had been able to unite the Jedi to fight the Mandalorians as Revan had and even though only a fifth of their Order was fighting, it was better than the few hundred that had gone off the fight, only to be slaughtered by the Mandalores. Revan paced the room angrily like a caged Rancor, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he went over the latest reports from his Generals and commanders.

"What are the estimated losses on Serreco"

Revan asked wearily. The young Jedi he had spoken to before sighed and shook his head.

"Forty percent of the garrison and twenty Jedi."

Revan closed his eyes and took in a steadying breath.

_"This is insane, the battle began only a few hours ago and we've already lost nearly half our forces"_

"Ian, prepare the men, we're leaving."

Ian Kenobi, the young Jedi Revan had been greeted by minutes before bowed and made his way to the communications console before stopping and looking curiously at the new arrival. Jedi Master Vrook Lamar stood silently before Ian, his face a mask of stoicism.

"We are accompanying you."

He stated. The Jedi Council had become curious as to how the war was being fought. Though it was in their nature and the Republic's to ignore a problem, they could not ignore the fact that a fifth of their Order had rallied under one young man. Revan turned slowly, his masked face weary, though he spoke with a bit of passion in his voice.  
"Who is _we_, Master Vrook"

Vrook merely took a step to the side to reveal a young girl of fifteen. Revan's eyes widened at the sight of the girl he had run into on Dantooine.  
"Are you insane? How many missions has she been on"

Revan snarled, causing Bastila's head to immediately snap to the former Jedi Knight. Vrook sighed as he looked down to Bastila. He did not want to take her along, but the Council thought it would help the development of her Battle Meditation if she were to witness a battle or two.   
"This is her first..."

Vrook sighed, wishing he could take back the words as Revan nearly fell over. The Republic commander composed himself and looked down to Bastila.

"You stay on the ship."

He stated as if he were the head of the Jedi Council. Bastila nodded meekly, this was unknown territory and she had always been taught by the Jedi to blend into the background and avoid confrontation, though her blood seemed to boil as the young man all but ordered her to stay behind.

_"I can take care of myself"_

Her mind snapped indignantly as she listened to her Master speaking, more like arguing with Revan.

"I can't believe this"

If Revan had not been so terrifying in his armor, Bastila would have thought he was pouting.

"There's nothing I can do about it, the Council's decision stands and if we need to, I am under orders to speak with your commanders or perhaps the Senate"  
Revan shook with anger, though it was far from murderous he could not help but smile at the mental picture of Vrook being sucked into a black hole.

_"Maybe we should make a quick stop by the Maw and..."_

Revan's dark thoughts ceased as he stared into two azure fires. He could see the annoyance burning below the surface and found himself staring at her. Bastila shifted when felt his eyes on her. She had difficulty comparing the menacing man clad in crimson and obsidian armor before her to the handsome young man that she had spoken briefly to on Dantooine a day before. Revan suddenly turned away, crossing his arms over his chest and staring intently at the holo of Serreco.

"Since you've chosen to go over my head, Master Vrook I would appreciate your council as to the welfare of the refugees..."

Revan sighed. The Senate seemed all for helping the refugees, if a holocam was on them.

_"More worried about their disgusting careers than people starving and dying..."_

Revan made a noise that could only be described as a growl. Under his guidance, the Mandalorian advance had ground to a stop. The three gaping holes in the Republic from the Mandalorian's initial invasion were slowly closing and the Mandalorians occupying those worlds dug themselves in, preparing for a long, drawn out war and a worthy challenge. The Republic was slow to catch its breath as the Senate saw their worlds as no longer in danger. The Republic had, in the nine months since Revan entered the war, nearly undermined all he had accomplished. Revan had practically begged the Republic for his own fleet and had combined the bulk of the ten thousand Jedi that had joined him in that fleet. It amazed the Jedi to no end how the Senate could be so uncaring and blind to the plight of their own people as long as they had credits to stuff into their faces. Revan shook his head of the thoughts and was surprised when Vrook nodded agreement to his assignment.

"That would be acceptable, the Council is concerned with the welfare of the Refugees from your war."

Vrook added pointedly. Revan sighed and motioned to his men to prepare to depart.

"General Kenobi..."  
Ian turned and set down the container of holos he was carrying.

"Yes, Commander"

He asked, absently tugging on his cloak.

"The forces at Serreco are taking heavy losses and have dug themselves in. It will primarily be a ground war... like Dxun..."

Ian winced slightly at the mention of Dxun. He had been the one to find Revan. He recalled Malak nearly knocking him over as they found Revan lying in a pool of his own blood in that interrogation chamber. Never had he seen someone so battered and he paled to think of what had happened to the other Jedi that were missing in action. The young General was pulled from his thoughts as Revan continued his briefing.

"I need to gather our forces, we cannot afford to be cut off like the Mandalorians were on Dxun. I'm sure you remember what happened to them."

_"Killed to the last man."_

Ian nodded, trying to fight the deep sense of foreboding he was picking up from Revan's serious tone.

"Our fleet is over Taris and that is nearly two days from here... Serreco is only seven hours from here... and about thirty from Taris..."

Ian again nodded understanding. Sighing heavily, Revan's stance slumped slightly.

"I... I need you to take a dropship and as many Jedi as you can to reinforce Serreco. Malak is taking half the fleet from Taris to reinforce Onderon. There was word that the Mandalorians are planning to launch an assault in the next week and we cannot ignore that, especially with all the help and all the resources Onderon can offer."  
Ian bowed and added in an understanding tone.

"And you need to command the fleet."

Revan nodded solemnly.

"You will be there, on your own for seventy hours. I can't promise you anything else except that I will be there in seventy hours."

Ian nodded, knowing Revan had no choice and departed, taking a Republic dropship and several dozen Jedi as well as a thousand men to reinforce Serreco. Revan watched his General leave, knowing that the time was being wasted.

"Lets move it"

He shouted to the other Jedi and Republic soldiers. Bastila and Vrook found themselves on Revan's flagship several minutes later and after nearly an hour of loading, the ship broke away from Dantooine and entered hyperspace, en route to Taris and the Republic and Jedi expeditionary Force, stationed over the city planet. Revan turned from his thoughts and the hyperspace field that had been occupying his view to see Vrook glaring at him. It had only need fifteen minutes since they had jumped into hyperspace and the Jedi Master had been occupying his time silently watching Revan and his men. Wincing, Revan walked over to the Jedi Master who could destroy his reputation in the Senate by withdrawing the meager Jedi support that had formed since he had rallied a fifth of the Order nearly a year before.

"Master Vrook, this is Lieutenant Korso, she will show you to a room."

Vrook nodded, satisfied. He had been planning on challenging the younger man to a verbal sparring match, but peace and quiet and a well deserved show sounded more inviting to the Jedi Master and there was the fact that he did not like the way his Padawan was staring at the armored Exile. Revan motioned to Lieutenant Korso and turned back to Vrook, only to see the Jedi Master's glare had shifted to his Padawan. Following the glare, Revan saw two azure fires that unnerved him more than a thousand Basilisks. Revan tilted his head slightly in a bow and watched the young girl suddenly start out of her thoughts. Shrugging mentally, Revan turned and removed the mask from his face, setting it in a pouch that lay hidden in his cloak. The former Jedi Knight pulled back his hood and took a in a deep breath, resisting the urge to cough as the recycled air hit his lungs. Revan looked down at himself with a frown. A month floating in a Kolto tank did not help his physical fitness. The Jedi quickly left the bridge, intending to find one of the Republic cruiser's recreation room and training. Revan stopped near the bridge's doorway and strained to hear what Vrook would say to his Padawan. Bastila frowned as she watched the retreating form of Revan.

_"I wonder where he is going..."_

The Padawan was torn from her thoughts as she heard her Master clear his throat. Bastila turned and paled slightly when she caught the look of barely contained rage on Vrook's face.

"Are you alright sir"

Lieutenant Korso asked the Jedi Master. Vrook's glare softened to a scowl as he turned to the young woman, sighing and offering a neutral expression which was as close to a smile the aging Jedi Master ever got.

"I am fine Lieutenant, why do you ask"

The Lieutenant frowned, not wanting to say what Revan had put her up to saying but wanting to see the reaction firsthand.

"Well for a minute there you looked like you were constipated, I could escort you to the ship's infirmary. The healers should be able to fix that right away."

Vrook stared at the young woman in open shock, his mouth hanging open before he caught himself. After getting over the shock herself, Bastila fought not to burst into a fit of giggles and looked at the Lieutenant with pity.

_"Master is going to kill her..."_

A deep laugh sounded in the hallway and Bastila turned to see Revan lying on the floor near the bridge's entrance, laughing hysterically. Vrook growled towards Revan and looked back to the Lieutenant. Seeing her shift under his cold glare, Vrook was satisfied and waved the comment off, making a note to get back at Revan. Revan stood and wiped his eyes, watching the Jedi Master, who's face had taken on a deep red leave with his Padawan in tow.

_"I probably just made that poor girl's life. I hate to think of how stodgy and arrogant she'll turn out with him as her Master."_

Revan smiled as he caught the small smirk on Bastila's face as she followed her Master from the bridge.

_"At least she can appreciate an excessive joke."_

Sighing, Revan made his way to his ship's recreation room, breaking into a series of advanced katas and fighting techniques.

Several hours passed and Bastila let out a frustrated sigh, tossing her datapad on her bed and turning from her stomach to stare at the bulkhead. The idea of seeing the Mandalorians first hand and being in the same room as people like Revan and Malak and Kenobi brought a thrill to her though it did little for her self esteem. The constant scolding of her Master over the years and how the other Jedi initiates had mocked her constantly for being brought in later than themselves brought constant doubt to the young girl. Turning her thoughts inwardly, Bastila groaned. She had constantly had trouble learning the techniques and Battle Meditation was no different. Bastila's eyes glistened as her thoughts drifted to where they always had for nearly a decade, to her father. Vrook had constantly scolded her on thinking of her past too often but she could not help it, she missed him too much. As it always did, thinking of her father also made her think of her mother. Scowling slightly, Bastila snarled in frustration, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of her bed.

"I may as well find a training room. Master did say this time should be dedicated to studying..."

Bastila's frown deepened. No matter how hard she tried, she could never concentrate and focus as well as the others her age. She was nearly three years behind the others when she arrived and they always rubbed it in her face. The young Padawan soon found herself standing outside a recreational room on the Republic cruiser and looked down at her loose fitting Jedi robes.

_"Well at least I can train decently in these."_

Ignoring the slight disarray in what would normally be her sleep clothes, Bastila entered the recreational facility and sought out a dueling room. Walking into th first room she saw, Bastila immediately stopped and flushed slightly when she caught sight of Revan. The former Jedi Knight had discarded his armor after training in them for two hours, favoring his obsidian Jedi robes. Bastila turned to leave but the Republic commander's voice stopped her.

"Dammit, three day. How are they going to hold out for three days"

Turning slowly, Bastila watched the Jedi curiously. Revan was wearing only his black pants and knee high boots. His tunic was lying in a pile near his armor and Bastila was granted a very nice view of his well tones physique. Flushing at her own thoughts, Bastila turned her attention to the stream of battle plans the man muttered. She soon became aware that Revan was in some type of trance as his body moved through advanced katas she could only dream of completing. The former Knight's azure blade hummed through the complex maneuvers meant to train a Jedi's reflexes in combat and Bastila seated herself on a bench as she listened to the man's rambling begin to form into a complex battle plan.

"If I divide my forces on Serreco and Dxun I leave Taris and the entire Meridian sector open to invasion... If I leave too many ships there I could forfeit the coming battle..."

Bastila listened intently to the former Jedi as he pondered aloud his thoughts.

"I could always cut off the Perlemian trade route... it's the only hyperspace route that leads to Taris and through the Meridian sector..."

Revan trailed off as he suddenly became aware of another presence in the room. Cursing himself for being so distracted, Revan ceased his kata and turned to see two blue eyes staring at him intently.

"Padawan Shan?

Bastila jumped with a start, flushing.

"Commander Revan..."

She replied as she stood and bowed. Revan frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"How long have you been there, Padawan"

Revan asked calmly, fuming inwardly to himself for not noticing her presence. Training always had a calming effect on the former Jedi and he had been so lost in his thoughts and training routine that he wouldn't have even sensed Malak enter. Revan's eyes narrowed further as he caught Bastila shifting uncomfortably under his gaze and flushing as much as her Master had on the bridge. Bastila glanced at her chrono, her eyes widening when she realized she had been watching Revan for nearly an hour. Looking like a Gizak caught in a swoop's headlights, Bastila gave Revan a pleading look.

"I- I must have been lost in my thoughts, I have to return or Master Vrook will... be unpleasant."

Bastila winced. Searching for an excuse was more difficult that she thought. Revan suddenly smiled warmly to her, tilting his head.

"I suppose, if he isn't still in the infirmary..."

Revan's smile shifted to a smug grin and he heard a small giggle come from the Padawan with him. Bastila placed her hand over her mouth, looking around as if the mere sound would draw the wrath of her Master. Seeing this, Revan burst into laughter, shaking his head and reveling in the peace and contentment he felt at that moment. It amazed the young Knight that this one girl could make him forget what he had seen and what he had to do in the end.

"So, Bastila... is it alright if I call you that"

Bastila nodded, smiling slightly. It seemed like it had been years since someone had called her by only her first name. Revan returned the smile, walking over to his armor and pulling his tunic over his head after wiping the sweat from himself with a workout towel.

_"Damn"_

Bastila cursed to herself as she slowly walked over to Revan.

"Tell me Bastila, why are you here"

Revan asked as he lowered the setting on his lightsaber to a safe training level.

"I cam to train but your training methods... distracted me."

Bastila felt a blush forming on her cheeks again and willed it away, hoping Revan did not see the faint pink of them. Revan smirked slightly and Bastila cursed herself.

"Training eh? How good are your reflexes"

Just as she was about to answer, Bastila felt the Force warning her and threw herself to the side to avoid the azure beam that shot from Revan's hand. Bastila looked at the former Jedi in confusion before she saw him advancing again.

"Not bad, how's your form"

Revan struck low, slashing his saber and was pleased to see Bastila leap over his attack and back away, drawing her own weapon. A pale yellow beam shot from Bastila's weapon and the Padawan quickly fell into her most comfortable fighting stance, preparing for Revan's next attack. Bastila quickly shifted her weight and shot to the side, blocking Revan's thrust and spinning as she swung her saber, colliding with Revan's azure beam. Revan used his strength to Force Bastila's blade to the side and instantly shifted his weight, spinning the blade and throwing Bastila off balance, tapping her with the low intensity blade on her shoulder.

"That is a common mistake, even amongst Jedi Knights and Masters. Always avoid a saber block."

Revan's voice held no condescension, in fact it held a bit of respect that Bastila thought misplaced. She had always been belittled by her teachers and to have someone like Revan impressed with her technique was almost too much for her to handle. Fighting the urge to grin, Bastila nodded and prepared herself again for Revan's attack. Revan performed a similar maneuver and struck Bastila from the opposite side, pleased when she only locked with his blade for a split second before spinning away and delivering a kick, which be blocked easily.

"Good, now. I am going to try something a little different so be mindful.

Bastila nodded, enjoying the duel and the fact that Revan was allowing her to explore her own talents instead of keeping her restrained to a simple set of fighting techniques. The randomness of his attacks was a little awkward to the young Padawan and his superior size and strength as well as his speed was difficult to keep up with. Bastila watched in momentary shock as Revan turned from her and used a nearby wall to vault himself into the air. Acting on instincts, or some would say the Force, Bastila dropped to the ground and moved her saber over her head in a wide arc, blocking Revan's downward strike. Revan smiled slightly, impressed that she was able to block such an unexpected attack.

"Very impressive, Bastila."

Revan remarked. Bastila smiled and nodded her head, preparing herself for another attack. Revan grinned widely and obliged, charging for her and dropping to the ground, rolling across the floor as his saber moved in a barely visible blur. Bastila jumped back and furrowed a brow at the strange attack before she caught sight of what Revan was truly doing. Revan's blade suddenly ceased its light show as Bastila felt his booted foot sweep under her, knocking her on her posterior. Bastila quickly rolled away and arched her back, kicking her legs out to vault herself to a standing position. The Padawan barely had time to block Revan as he struck first on her left side, then her right. Twisting to the side, Revan prepared to lunge for his opponent when Bastila smirked and dropped beneath his attack, kicking his weapon hand to the side and bringing her saber into his mid section. Revan's eyes widened slightly as pain shot through him. Looking down he saw Bastila's hilt against his abdomen and groaned slightly. Bastila's victorious smirk was replaced with a confused and then horrified expression. Revan coughed violently as he looked over to Bastila as she deactivated her weapon and backed away.

"You. Forgot. To. Change. The. Settings."

Revan dropped to his knees and clutched his mid section, closing his eyes as he drew on the Force and slowly lost consciousness. Bastila dropped her saber and brought her hands to cover her mouth as she gasped.

_"How could I have been so foolish..."_

She had been so lost in her thoughts on the way to the training room that she hadn't changed the setting of her weapon and Revan had started their duel so abruptly that the thought didn't even cross her mind. Quickly getting over the shock and mortification, Bastila rushed to a comm system and called frantically for medics to come. The Medics arrived within moments and quickly took Revan away, asking Bastila to calm down and speak with her Master.

_"Force, what if he doesn't survive"_

Bastila closed her eyes, willing away the tears at the thought. She was so caught up in her concern that she did not even realize she had bested one of the best swordsmen in the entire Jedi Order or that she had potentially killed the only man who could defeat the Mandalorians. She didn't even take into account the fact that Vrook was likely going to skin her alive and feed her to Firaxan or that this might destroy the Jedi's support in the Senate. Not wanting to endure the accusatory looks of the ship's crew or the scolding of her Master, Bastila rushed to the ship's infirmary, watching in mute horror as the healers fought to stabilize Revan's condition.

Vrook had been shockingly understanding. The Jedi Master had not even glowered at Bastila when she had finally told him what had happened. Vrook merely stood in the Infirmary watching Revan floating in the Kolto tank. The aging Jedi Master sighed as he watched his Padawan's sleeping form in a nearby chair. He knew he should scold her for her actions and for the strange way she was reacting towards Revan but he knew she was young and he had been young himself once. Vrook's eyes glazed slightly at that thought. He knew he was using that as an excuse more times than not for the fact that he could just not keep up with his Padawan. She was intelligent, brilliant really and her largest flaw seemed to be the lack of confidence. Vrook had constantly scolded her, belittling her in the hopes that he could drive her past that flaw but it only seemed to convince her more of her ineptitude. Sighing, Vrook looked over the form of Revan. It had been two days and Malak had already departed after having a few choice words to say to Bastila. The towering former Jedi had been surprisingly angered by accident and had fixed his cold glare on Vrook, likely thinking it was some Jedi plot to bring what they referred to as the 'lost ones' back into the Order. Vrook shook his head of the dark thoughts.

_"No, Malak was a Jedi..."_

Vrook could not deny the look of loathing he received from the man though and he knew that somewhere, Malak was harboring his hatred as it seemed many of the young did these days.

"Master Vrook..."  
Vrook turned to see the young Lieutenant that had shown he and Bastila to their quarters looking at him with concern.

"I... know this may not be the best time but there's a message from the Jedi Council... They are ordering you to return with Bastila to Coruscant immediately."

Vrook nodded solemnly, turning from the woman and walking over to Bastila's sleeping form.

_"She's going to hate me for this..."_

Sighing, Vrook gently lifted the girl and carried her to a transport, taking her from all the chaos that had engulfed the Outer Rim. Revan awoke a week after his injury, pulling himself to a sitting position and ignoring the protest of his still tender abdomen. Frowning slightly, Revan stood shakily and walked to a nearby nurse, who nearly fell over in shock.

"Please Commander, you must rest."

Revan stared at the woman before shaking his head and speaking.

"How long"

"Precisely one week."

The woman responded. Revan nodded and looked around the medical room, not sensing Vrook or Bastila. His search was violently cut short when he turned back to the nurse and snarled.

"One Week"

The nurse backed away and nodded slightly. Revan's eyes glazed for a moment in deep thought before they snapped back to life.  
"What is our position."

The nurse frowned.

"We are holding over Taris, Commander."

Revan did not heed the nurse's warnings as he rushed to the bridge, clad in his medical clothing. The former Jedi immediately shouted to his officers to prepare the fleet to reinforce Serreco.

_"To hell with the Meridian sector."  
_The ships arrived two days later to find the forces on Serreco cornered and nearly wiped out. Revan led the assault against the Mandalorians, tearing mercilessly through their position and within a few hours, the battle had died down. What Revan found when he searched for his men brought a sickening feeling to him. Only a few hundred men had survived out of the entire garrison and the reinforcements and of all the Jedi sent there, only a dozen had survived, including the man he had brought reinforcements to four days too late. Ian took one look at Revan, a look that said everything. The war was no longer a clean war. All around the decaying bodies of civilians lay and Revan nearly gagged at the sight. Serreco was a hollow victory, a slaughter would have been a better term. Surprisingly, Revan's hatred did not include Bastila. She had been the one ordered by the Jedi to accompany him and it was their involvement that had done this. Growling with frustration, Revan kicked a Mandalorian's helmet and stormed away, ignoring the blood that seeped through his abdomen and ran down his armor. His own blood.

The Senate wasted no time commemorating the Jedi for their victory at Serreco. The civilian losses had been horrendous and had only started after Ian arrived. The Mandalorians had cornered the Jedi and the Republic and began executing the native population of Serreco to goad the Jedi and Republic into fighting. Those that tried, died and the planet had been nearly a total loss.

_"No more distractions."_

Revan's mind snapped to him as he ignored the burning pain in his reopened wound. A hail had come from the Jedi Council and they had demanded that Bastila be sent to the next battle. Revan shook his head and relented, knowing the Republic would draw support from him if he did not make a visible effort to convince the rest of the Order to join the war.  
Jedi Master Vrook tensed slightly as his transport docked with Revan's flagship. He chanced a glance at his Padawan to see her shivering slightly and extremely pale. It had been two weeks since the victory at Serreco and the Council had again ordered he and his Padawan to observe the rouge Jedi. What Vrook saw when he exited the ship shocked him. Revan stood silently flanked by dozens of Republic soldiers and several former Jedi. The former Knight was wearing only his Jedi robes and Vrook could tell by his stance that he was still recovering from what should have been a mortal wound. Revan smiled to the Jedi Master and bowed.

"Master Vrook, a pleasure to have you and Padawan Shan on board again."

Bastila kept her eyes downcast, wearing a dejected expression as Vrook raised an eyebrow at the strange behavior.  
"Where are we off to on this little excursion"

Vrook asked. Revan smiled a smile that sent a chill up Vrook's spine. He had never thought the younger man would be able to intimidate him but the smile was absent and there was a strange underlying sense of foreboding that chilled Vrook to his core.

"Cathar."  
Revan replied. Vrook furrowed a brow towards Revan.

"That world was taken over a decade ago and is outside the Republic... why go there"

Vrook asked. Revan merely smiled coldly and motioned for Vrook and Bastila to follow as the Jedi and guards escorted them to the bridge.   
"The forces on Cathar are but remnants and should pose no threat, I thought it would be a good idea to show you firsthand the results of wa and it will be a relatively safe environment for Bastila to test her Battle Meditation."  
Revan's voice had shifted from its cheery greeting to a malicious snarl at the last word. Vrook paused his steps for a moment before nodding, giving Revan a calculating gaze. He understood the logic in Revan's words. Cathar was burned and abandoned years ago and any forced still present would be pirates or deserters and would pose no real threat. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group as they entered the bridge. The Jedi and soldiers filtered out amongst the crew on the way and Vrook took a seat on a bench, watching the hyperspace trail.

Vrook was glad his Padawan was on the ship trying to establish a connection to her Battle Meditation. Revan had insisted the Jedi Master accompany him to the surface to see is there were any refugees to help and what Vrook saw cause even him to ponder the wisdom of the Jedi not throwing themselves into the war. Revan descended on the Mercenaries and Pirates with the full force of his flagship and small fleet as they destroyed the pirate fleet in their ships and sent dropships to clear the world of their unwelcome guests. Vrook could not believe his eyes. What had once been a world that held billions of Cathar, only held a few thousand. The Jedi Master suddenly felt the urge to vomit as he took in the sight of thousands upon thousands of ancient corpses, left in massive piles to make them easier to dispose of. The entire world was ravaged and stripped of its resources, likely to support the Mandalorian war machine and what remained were dead and dying. The small amount of Cathar that still remained on the world were beyond impoverished. To be frank, they were dead or dying. Vrook felt his heart go out to the Cathar and even he killed a slaver or two as he and Revan's men tore through the scum that had claimed the world. Hours passed as the Republic and Jedi forces tore over the landscape in swoop bikes and speeders, searching out what remained of the Cathar race. Vrook found himself searching for the Force and feeling the pain of the world's destruction that still echoed there.

"How could we have let this happen"

He whispered as he looked over the destruction with horror and revulsion. Vrook turned to see Revan, his skin was pale, nearly white and he had deep circles around his eyes. The former Jedi Knight turned to him as they stood on a hillside of the ravaged world and motioned for Vrook. Vrook slowly walked over to the younger man and looked out over a destroyed city that was likely a once beautiful and teeming citadel.

"You are here to find out why so many followed me to war, Master Vrook. This is why."

Revan motioned to the destroyed city and turned his heel, leaving the Jedi Master to mull over his thoughts.

Bastila slowly pulled herself out of the deep trance she had entered and took in a deep breath, panting from the effort. She slowly opened her eyes to see Revan sitting in the room staring at her. The former Jedi had left Vrook and his men to finish cleaning up and processing the refugees and had quickly made his way to Bastila to see the results of the Jedi's little test. Bastila looked away from his thoughtful expression, ashamed to be in the same room as the man. Revan slowly stood and walked over to Bastila, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it gently.

"I have to thank you, Bastila."

Bastila frowned and turned to Revan, surprised by his words.

"Wha- why is that"

She asked meekly. Revan smiled warmly and backed away, eyeing her for a moment.

"You showed me something the last time we spoke and I have to thank you for giving me peace."

_"Peace"_

Bastila's mind screamed at her. She slowly looked into Revan's eyes. She could tell he was tired, exhausted really but his eyes still held a warmth and peace that she would not have thought possible. She could not believe he was acting as if the accident in the training room never happened.

"I"

Revan raised his hand to cut off Bastila's response.

"Don't worry, Bastila. I know it was an accident. What you really showed me was that I should not fight my own decisions. Fate, or the Force has a plan and I am a part of it. That accident should have killed me but the Force did not allow me to die and you... you were there for a reason. The Force has a plan for you, Bastila and I see great things in your future."

Bastila blinked several times and frowned.

_"I nearly kill him and he is complimenting me"_

Revan smile at Bastila's genuinely confused expression.

"I was wondering if you'd care to join me for dinner, Padawan Shan."

Revan asked formally. Bastila nodded, not knowing what to say and too busy taking in all that had happened to be embarrassed by his offer. Revan smiled warmly and held out his arm. Bastila took it and they slowly made their way to the ship's mess hall. Revan looked across the table to the young woman as she hesitantly began her life story and began speaking of her father and her mother and what life had been like on Talravin before she joined the Order. Bastila was so caught up in her story that she did not notice the mess hall had emptied hours ago and that she was speaking of her frustrations in her training. Revan smiled as he listened, offering an encouragement here or there when need be and adding his understanding. It was amazing to him how he and this young woman were alike. The only flaw she held and the only difference was that she seemed uncertain, confused. Revan listened politely, enjoying the conversation and the brief distraction for the horror he had witnessed on Cathar. Ian had forgiven him and held no malice towards Bastila. The General knew that it was an accident and he knew that the sacrifice of the men on Serreco seemed to inflame their forces more though he wished victory had not come at such a high cost. Revan ignored the slight burning in his abdomen as he continued to listen to Bastila speak. He was not lying when he said Bastila had brought him peace of mind. On Dxun he had reservations of fighting his own people, even after being tortured by a Mandalorian he could not ignore the face that he was on but after seeing what had happened on Serreco and seeing the remains of Cathar, he knew he would not doubt himself again and that he would not stop until the Mandalorians lay in ruins beneath him.


	3. Chapter 3: A Plea

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing.

Chapter 3: A Plea

Revan looked up for only a moment as the sky burned with Basilisk war droids.

_"How the hell did I ever get myself into this?"_

The Jedi shook his head as he looked out over the rocky surroundings of the desert-like world the Mandalorians had occupied. The world was nothing more than a planetoid and Revan wondered how such a pathetic rock of sand and dust was so vital to the war effort. Shaking his head, Revan turned as he heard a turboblaster turret firing a volley into the sky. Several brilliant flashes in the distance caught the former Jedi's eyes before he turned his attention back to the fighter he was trying so desperately to repair. Somehow, his forces had managed to fight the Mandalorians back the Mandalorians and had dug in to the small planetoid, setting up hastily constructed batteries to keep the endless stream of dropships and Basilisks away from the surface. Revan sighed as he looked over the detestable rock that didn't even have a name. The only reason he was here was because a stronghold on the planetoid could give a strategic platform for the Mandalorians to strike Ithor. The Senate failed to see that their pathetic lives were soon to be at risk. That is what they were becoming to the former Jedi Knight. Pathetic. To sit around, bickering about how much money they had while worlds burned, to ignore the pain and suffering of the galaxy while others fought and died and were torn to pieces. Never in his life had Revan feared anything, but he slowly felt fear settle into him as he thought of what the Galaxy would become with such people ruling it.

"What in the nine hells of Corellia?"

Revan snarled as a blaster bolt came down on his position, obliterating a nearby turret. Revan growled in frustration as he looked at the mangled circuits of his fighter.

_"We can't let them have this world!"_

Revan quickly made work of his fighter and ran a diagnostic, snarling when it did not respond.

"What the Hell!"

Revan impatiently looked skyward again to see the battle was dying down, at least the aerial battle. The Jedi had left Malak in charge of the orbital fleet, hoping Malak could at least shoot at what he saw. Malak may have been powerful and an impressive fighter, but he seemed to have great difficulty seeking out his foes. Throwing the loose component he had been working on down in frustration, Revan turned his thoughts and drive to the ground battle that was soon approaching. A flash of blue eyes and a smiling face came to Revan's mind and the former Jedi shook his head.

_"What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I stop thinking of her?"_

The battlefield was no place for such distraction, but facing being overrun and destroyed by his enemy, Revan could only dwell on the young girl he had befriended. A shout caused Revan to turn his attention to a middle aged woman and an Echani warrior.

"Yusanis? Arren? What are you doing here?"  
Revan asked, surprised to see the skilled Echani warrior and the outcast Jedi Knight. It had been nearly a decade since Arren Kae was thrown out of the Order for as the Jedi called it, 'pulling a Bindo.' Revan shook his head of the thoughts as he took in the Echani that had forsaken his honor and family for the sake of the Jedi Knight he stood with.

"We've lost the orbital defenses, Malak is ordering a retreat..."

Revan was silent as he stared at the Echani warrior and his fellow outcast.

_"Malak ordered a retreat?"_

Malak was not one to run from a fight and whatever it was that was making him run must have been serious.

"Where are they falling back to?"

Revan inquired. Yusanis looked enraged and Arren looked sullen.

"Eres III, the Mandalorians have begun landing Basilisks and are burning the Xoxin fields... the garrison there was slaughtered and they are shooting down whoever tries to flee."

Arren replied in a solemn tone. Revan released a long and steadying breath. Malak was going to attack them head on, just his style.

"Where's General Kenobi?"

Revan asked, pulling himself from his thoughts. It had been nearly a year since Dxun and there was still no end to the war in sight. The Mandalorians seemed to have a death grip on the worlds they held and their armies seemed almost endless. The fact that the Republic and the Jedi failed miserably to reinforce Revan and his forces did not help. The Republic military was too concerned with losing political targets to actually see that losing military targets were much more vital. The Jedi Council was content to have him at their whim by threatening to call on the Senate if their wishes were not met. The Jedi constantly sent observers and used their influence to discredit Revan with the Republic. Revan was not blind, he knew that they were afraid of him. Revan represented something that the Jedi feared, he represented another option to their students. The former Jedi Knight knew that the thought of removing him from power or discrediting him likely crossed their minds.

_"Power."_

The word seemed to send a chill up his spine. He hated power, he hated it when people looked to him for answers to questions he could not begin to fathom. He hated to be responsible for the deaths of his men, like he was responsible on Serreco. He hated the fact that men and women died to save him on Dxun. He hated the fact that he was fighting his own people. It sickened Revan to no end each time he struck down a Mandalorian before he had been wounded by Bastila. Bastila had opened his eyes to something.

_"It needed to be done."_

No longer was he sickened by killing, he simply closed his mind off from the pain, he detached himself from what he was doing. Killing his own people. It simply needed to be done for the greater good. Some would argue more atrocities have been done in the name of the greater good than in the name of evil but Revan found himself simply not caring. Worlds died while he fought the moral implications of his war. It was his war. Before he had joined, the Mandalorians met no challenge and simply burned the worlds they conquered into ashes and left their cities as glassy craters. The Jedi had the gall to blame him for the escalation of violence in the war. They simply refused to see that the Mandalorians despised weakness and respected power. If he met them on the battlefield and succeeded, then they would be broken and they would surrender. If he failed, they would still respect him for fighting and perhaps in the end not view the Jedi and the rest of the galaxy as weak and inferior and perhaps begin to respect them.

"How long until we get reinforcements?"

Revan asked, annoyance clear in his tone. Yusanis actually grinned in response as Arren replied for him.

"Telos and the Echani are sending reinforcements. The Telosians are under the command of Admiral Saul Karath and the Echani are to transfer command to Yusanis as soon as they arrive."

At this news, Revan breathed a sigh of relief. An explosion and distant blaster fire drew him from his relief.

"Well I suppose we should get back to the war."

The other two warriors nodded agreement and followed Revan from the now useless fighter.

Sixteen year old Bastila Shan looked down at the image before her in satisfaction. She was sure it was the image she had seen tattooed to Revan's upper right arm. She had been too busy staring at him and his amazing fighting style that day in the recreation room where she had wounded him to notice it, but they had sparred since and she had curiously asked him about the strange mark. Revan had instantly closed off of whatever they had been discussing and had left, but not before she had seen enough of the mark to draw an accurate picture. Bastila slowly made her way to the Jedi archives on Coruscant. She had been transferred to Coruscant after Cathar and much to her delight, Revan made frequent visits to the Republic capitol world to speak with the Senate and the Jedi High Council. Jedi Master Atris sighed slightly as she saw the young woman enter the archives. It was an ongoing joke within the Council that Bastila's sharp attitude could rival her own, something her fellow Jedi Masters found amusing to no ends.

_"Oh yes, we don't always meditate and curse Revan behind those doors..."_

Snapping from her annoying reverie, Atris offered a small nod as Bastila smiled to her and bowed deeply.

"What can I do for you, Padawan Shan?"

Atris asked wearily. Bastila handed the sketch she had drawn of the tattoo and waited patiently as Atris furrowed her brow at the drawing.

"Is this some kind of joke, Bastila?"

Bastila frowned, not knowing what to say. Atris sighed and shook her head, handing the curious Padawan her drawing back. Atris turned and after digging quietly through a pile of datapads handed the datapad to Bastila.

"It's a Mandalorian symbol for a conscript. A forced member of their army and a member of the Clans. There are subtle differences for the Clans. Ordo clan uses a snake-like symbol while the Fett clan uses a Bantha skull..."

Atris frowned slightly, looking over her console for a moment before finding the raven-like symbol.

"Interesting..."

Atris muttered to herself as she compared the two symbols.

"This is the clan symbol of the Raven Clan."

Bastila frowned slightly.

"Raven Clan..."

Atris nodded, suddenly interested in her work.

"Yes they were said to be the only Mandalorians who were not blind to the Force. Mandalore is rumored to be from that clan. They were nearly wiped out seventeen years ago when they assaulted an unknown fleet of alien ships beyond the Outer Rim. It is unclear how exactly they were destroyed, but only a few dozen survived that battle. They were said to have scattered and been absorbed into the other Clans afterwards..."

Atris trailed off, turning her attention to her beeping comm link.

"Atris..."

She answered, hearing the last voice she expected to her on the other end.

"Atris, its Ian."

Atris' face turned red slightly as she trembled, her fact shifting to a small scowl.

"What do YOU want?"  
She snarled into the communicator. Bastila backed away slightly, surprised and confused as to the Jedi Councillor's response to the other's voice.

"Malak is bombing the Mandalorian positions on Eres III and Revan is missing in action along with Yusanis and Knight Kae... The Republic is refusing the send reinforcements to their last known position and if Revan's position falls... we may loose Ithor and the Echani sectors... I thought that might concern you, Atris."

Kenobi finished, his voce calm and collected. Atris frowned slightly. If the Echani sector fell, it would directly effect her since she was an Echani and the Ithorians were a peaceful race that would be crushed beneath the Mandalorians.   
"What about the Iridonians?"  
Atris asked after a moment's hesitation. A deep sigh was heard from the other end of the comm link.

"The Iridonians are allying with the Ithorians and are gathering in the Yulant system. If we loose anymore harvesting worlds like Eres III, there is no telling how many will starve in the next few years..."

"What are the Echani doing?"

Atris asked, confused that they would not be standing alongside the Iridonians and Ithorians.

"The Echani and the Telosians are sending their Forces to the Wayland system. Revan was trying to keep the Hydian Way secured from there, but the Mandalorians are overrunning them and we've lost contact..."

Bastila's eyes widened slightly at the news she was hearing. She knew Revan had been in the forefront of the Republic and Jedi forces, but she did not know he would be so exposed. A sudden chill ran up her spine when she mulled over all the things that could have happened to her friend. She remembered hearing about Dxun and Serreco and she could not keep the images of Revan being tortured and beaten to death from her mind. Atris sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"What do you want from me?"

She asked tiredly. Bastila remained silent, watching the strange way the conflicting emotions passed over the normally stoic Jedi Master's face.

"We NEED help, Atris. We've lost over half of the Jedi already and we're estimating that we'll lose another two thousand within the next week. Revan may be too proud to say it but this war can't be won without the help of the Jedi Council... We need more people and the Council is sure doing their best to keep us from being reinforced."

The former Jedi General added, his voice rising with the accusation. For her credit, Atris looked surprised.

"What do you mean?"

She asked, shocked and appalled.

"Don't even try. The Council has been constantly sending their little puppet Vrook out here and he's been discrediting us before the Senate and the Republic military. Do you realize that Revan has not been reinforces since Dxun? The Senate delays all his battle plans and only battles he or Malak or myself are directly involved in actually hold any results."  
Atris' face scrunched, in anger or confusion, Bastila did not know. The Jedi Councillor answered in a calm and collected tone.

"I do not know what you are speaking of, Ian. But I assure you that I will find out soon enough."

Atris cut the communication as her eyes glazed over slightly.

"Seven thousand..."

She said below a whisper, though Bastila had heard. The thousands of Jedi sent to Revan were slowly being reduced to a handful and even the stubborn Jedi Master could see the implications. Turning her head to Bastila, a flicker of surprise shot through her blue eyes before she shook her head and dismissed herself.

"I am sorry Padawan Shan, but I must speak with the Council immediately."

Bastila nodded numbly, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach.

_"What if the Jedi don't support Revan? What if what Kenobi said was true?"_

The idea of her own Master deliberately sabotaging the Jedi's war effort horrified Bastila to the point of her own mind closing off the possibility.

"No, Master would never do that."

Sitting in his chair before eleven of his fellow Jedi Councillors, Vrook Lamar sighed heavily as Atris replayed the communication from Ian Kenobi.

"We cannot fight... I've... seen what happens when Jedi fight. I saw the remains of those worlds the Mandalorians burned. If we are to remain strong... we cannot allow ourselves to be ruled by passion. We can't go into this war unprepared and there are not enough Jedi to end this war now that Revan has effectively lost nearly a tenth of our manpower."

The other Jedi Masters silently agreed, though many felt the need to challenge the Mandalorian threat. Vrook settled himself in his heat and shook his head. He would not risk his Padawan in a war that could be won by the Republic.

Ian Kenobi stood on the bridge of a Republic troop carrier, sighing and shaking his head as he looked over the gathered Iridonians and Ithorians. Holding the Yulant system and its rich agricultural worlds was key to preventing the suffering of the Mandalorian wars to spreading into the Core worlds. The Outer Rim and Mid Rim burned while the Core worlds remained unscathed. His lip curling in disgust, Ian stalked quietly to a meditation chamber, intent on seeking the Force's comfort. Revan had ordered him to keep his position and Malak was too busy burying the Mandalorians on Eres III under his ship's turboblasters to be of any help. Revan's position was a last stand against the Mandalorian advance and if his position fell... Ian knew the hastily gathered Iridonians and Ithorians would stand little chance against them. The former Jedi let out a silent plea to the Force that the Telosians and Echani would reach Revan in time. If Revan was lost, he knew the war would be lost.

A week passed and the bloodiest fighting the Mandalorian war had seen since had died down. Revan emerged with the Echani and Telosians triumphant as he successfully held off a much larger force. The Mandalorians had resulted to conscripting prisoners from their worlds along with their families. It seemed the endless armored warriors were slowly meeting their limit. The Core worlds still remained out of reach for them as Revan and Malak reinforced their positions with volunteers from the Iridonians, the Echani, the Telosians and the Ithorians. The Republic had managed to deploy the bulk of their fleet in an effective defensive pattern along the various hyperspace routes only a year and a half after Revan had suggested it. It appeared the losses on Eres III and Revan's stand had spurred the Senate into action. The Mandalorians had lost a bulk of their military and the hastily gathered conscripts held neither the skill nor the fighting experience of their previous comrades. The Mandalores still held firm and the worlds under them did not fall without blood, blood of their people. After a month of liberating nearly extinct planets, Revan had ceased the campaign, disappearing from the sectors of war along with Malak. The Mandalorians took this precious time to gather and strengthen their forces, though they knew a plan was being formed by their cunning adversary.

Revan was rumored to have been spotted near the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine and on Manaan, though the sightings were unconfirmed and his vessel was spotted near Tatooine, though it was gone before any Republic forces or Jedi could trace them. It seemed that as the months slowly passed that Revan had vanished and that the Mandalores had dug themselves in for a bloody stalemate. Wherever Revan went in those several months was unknown to all but those who had gone with him. The Jedi Council and the Senate had met with him once, each refusing to support his increasingly violent actions in the war and each scolding the young former Jedi for his actions. When Revan and Malak did return, there was something about them that unsettled those closest to them. They no longer joked with the men and were often sealed away in their quarters or training themselves. Whatever they had found seemed to change them, harden them.

Revan stared silently into the star field before him. It had been a week since his five month quest for the Star Forge ended and it had ended in a bitter defeat. The Star Forge seemed to require vast reservoirs of darkside energy to activate itself and the massive Rakatan device remained dormant, orbiting the Rakatan sun. Snarling in annoyance, Revan hastily retreated to his quarters, looking over anything he could to find a clue to unlocking the Star Forge's power. The massive factory was a relic of the darkside and he had known there were many others, like on Korriban or Dxun. A brief shiver ran up Revan's spine as he fought the feeling of dread those places stirred within him. Beneath the foliage, Dxun held something he feared and he did not wish to ever confront the true darkness of that moon. How he had not seen it while he was there he would never know but one thing was certain, he would never return to Onderon or Dxun if he had a choice. Korriban had sent another chill within him, a thrill of sorts. The world was dead but it still held the echoes of its former Lords, the power there if you could find it, but not enough to unlock the Star Forge.

As Revan's eyes scanned the various datapads, one world, one name seemed to call to him.

"Malachor V..."

The Mandalorians feared that world, almost as much as he feared Dxun.   
"We need to go to Malachor V..."

Revan muttered to himself. Mandalorians feared nothing and whatever was on that world that would cause the Mandalorians to isolate that single world and ban it would end this seemingly endless war. Revan knew he had to act, he barely had a thousand Jedi left in his ranks and his forces were not much better off. With the help of the Telosians and the Echani, Revan was able to liberate dozens of worlds, though what he liberated where worlds of corpses. It seemed the Mandalorians ruled an empire of death. Whatever the Senate was doing was not enough to protect itself, whatever the Jedi Council was doing was not enough to protect the Republic they had sworn to uphold was not enough. They were simply incompetent and could not offer strength in the face of adversity. Revan's Mandalorian blood boiled and he finally understood why the Mandalorians despised the Republic too much. War had made him strong enough to see the weakness of the Republic, how it allowed its outer edges to crumbled while corruption ruled and blacked its heart. There was something seriously wrong with the Senate and the Jedi Council.   
"No!"

Revan shouted, throwing the datapad away.

"I can't think like that, this is what I am fighting for!"

The words seemed to scorch his very soul.  
_"This is what I am fighting for?"_

What was the point of trying to save someone who didn't even make the effort of saving themselves. The Republic was on the verge of collapse and it had done that to itself by avoiding war for so long and not being prepared. The Republic had invited destruction.

"There must be another way..."

The Star Forge wasn't enough, hell it didn't even work and the Senate refused his requests for aid. There was only one thing Revan could do and the thought sickened him to no end. He had to stand before the Jedi Council and beg for their assistance, otherwise the war would never end.


	4. Chapter 4: Alone

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 4: Alone

_"The darkside is strong in this place. I can feel its power... Is this wise? Once we pass beyond these doors we can never go back... The Council will surely banish us."_

Malak's words rang through Revan's mind as he knelt with his eyes downcast before the Jedi Council. He could feel their intrusive mind probes and almost see the smug smiles they hid behind their stoic masks. They were right and they knew it. He needed them.

"You should have thought of this before you defied our wishes, Revan."

Master Vrook said with surprising calm. Apparently seeing the proud former Jedi that defied the Council and went to war against their every order was enough to sate the man's temper. Revan heard a snarl and the movement of a cloak before heavy footsteps sounded beside him and left the room. Malak it seemed did not have the patience to kneel before his former Masters, even if he himself admitted to needing them. Revan turned his head upwards, still kneeling before the twelve Jedi Councillors.

"I need the Council's full support... I need you to convince the Republic to give me more men. I NEED more Jedi."

Revan replied, catching the mirth hidden in several of the Jedi Master's eyes. Trembling with anger, Revan cast a dark glare at each of the Jedi Masters through his mask and was surprised to see the humor vanish.

"You've tasted the darkside..."

Vima Sunrider gasped as she stood from her seat. Revan remained kneeling, staring at the red haired Jedi Master.

"Whatever do you mean _Master _Sunrider?"

Revan asked in a tight tone, secretly reveling in the look of horror on the woman's face.

_"If I had given in to the darkside the Star Forge would obey my commands, to despise someone for allowing death and suffering to go on is not the darkside. How ignorant of them."_

Several of the other Jedi Masters stood as well, uneasily taking defensive postures.

"You are no longer a member of the Jedi Order, Revan. You cannot ask us to help you with YOUR war."  
At that, Revan had enough, tearing his mask from his face, Revan glared openly into Jedi Master Atris' face.  
"My war? My WAR! Do you think just because I am one of them that this is my war!"

Revan screamed at the Echani Jedi Master, ignoring the confused look he received. Revan stood abruptly and spat on the floor, removing his lightsaber and allowing it to drop to the floor as he glared at each and every one of the Jedi Masters.

"We die because of you. The Force will not forget that when it is your time to answer."  
Revan turned and left the room, his cloak billowing behind him. The Jedi Masters looked at the spot where Revan had spat his disgust and threw his last connection to the Jedi Order, his lightsaber.  
"I think we have made things worse..."

Jedi Master Kavar added quietly. Master Zhar and Vandar nodded silent agreement as they took their seats, startled by Revan and Vima's sudden outbursts.

"What makes you think he has fallen, Vima?"

Master Dorak asked after the Council had settled into their seats after the exchange with the former Jedi Knight. The Jedi Councillor wore a solemn expression as she turned her eyes to the dark-skinned Jedi Master.

"I remember my mother telling me how it felt when Ulic fell... I felt that in him, the bitterness, the despair... He will do something drastic and if we are not prepared... it could have serious consequences. We should take his council under advisement, we have ignored the Mandalorian threat for too long."  
Several of the other Jedi Masters offered snorts of disagreement with her words.

"If he has fallen as you say, nothing can save him. That one was always too proud-"

"Yet he knelt before us, yet he all but begged us for help."  
Zhar interjected, cutting Master Vrook off. The Council let out a collective sigh. Whatever was stirring in Revan's mind one thing was certain, they all dreaded to hear it.

Revan stormed through the Jedi Temple, his hands gripping tightly to his mask as he glared at the floor.

_"Do they want us to lose this war? Do they want the Republic to fall?"_

The former Jedi Knight sighed, heading for the Room of a Thousand Fountains.  
_"Perhaps I can relax before I die."_

The Republic Commander mused as he seated himself in the lush gardens and began a calming meditation. Malachor V had not been what he had hoped, the world was dead and after seeing the barren terrain and the dangerous storms that covered the lifeless rock, Revan knew why the Mandalorians chose to restrict the world. Sighing heavily, Revan continued going over his options.

_"I can attack the Mandalorians head on, but that would likely destroy what is left of my forces... I could move my troops in a defensive pattern but that would only allow the Mandalorians the time to regroup and mount an effective counterattack, which would mean certain victory for them..."_

Shaking his head, Revan removed his armor and placed it in a neat pile beside him.

_"I could always draw them into a trap... but how could I draw the bulk of their Forces into a trap... and how can I spring this trap. The Mandalorians have at least four times as many men as I do and with less than two thousand Jedi left..."_

A frustrated sigh escaped Revan as he opened his eyes from his meditation and thoughts. The Coruscant sky had dimmed some, though it was never truly dark on the city planet, Revan knew it was night and that he had spend several hours meditating and going over pointless strategies.

"Maybe I can make a bomb."  
Revan mused aloud.

"That wouldn't be such a bad idea."

A voice said from behind him. Revan turned calmly and gave a subtle nod to Ian Kenobi.

"Did you try as well?"  
Revan asked, knowing the former Jedi General had been in some of the hardest fighting of the war alongside him. Ian shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest and looking to a nearby fountain, admiring its beauty.  
"Its not worth it. What point is there to go before them and have them rub it in your face that you should have listened?"

Revan smiled slightly at that comment, nodding agreement.

"A bomb them. So what shall we call this doomsday weapon?"  
Revan joked, not taking his fellow outcast seriously.

"The Mass Shadow Device..."

Ian replied. Revan furrowed a brow, looking at the slightly older man before standing.  
"Don't tell me you've already got something? I knew you were efficient Ian but Force!"

Ian shrugged.

"I have an Iridonian in my Ithorian tech crew, he says with four core drives from four Republic ships he can make a gravity well the size of Yavin."

Revan brought his hand to his chin in thought, mulling over the news.

"If we can draw the Mandalorians into an asteroid field... no they would never follow us in there..."  
Revan frowned slightly, shaking his head as dozens of possibilities passed through his mind.  
"I take it this device isn't picky about what it swallows?"  
Revan asked. Ian nodded his head and frowned as well, not knowing how to lure the Mandalorians into a trap.  
"I have an idea..."

Revan muttered after a few moments. Ian looked over to his comrade skeptically before Revan slowly rolled up the sleeve of his tunic, revealing a raven crested tattoo.  
"This is the symbol of a Mandalorian Conscript. Any who bear this mark or the mark of any Mandalorian can challenge Mandalore..."

Ian was silent, staring at the mark on Revan's bicep.  
"I can allow them to capture me and then challenge them. If I win I can order them to surrender and if they choose to torture me I can tell them our forces are gathered around Malachor V. You can use the Mass Shadow device to destroy the forces they send there and we can end this in a single stroke!"

Ian remained silent, his gaze fixed on the Mandalorian crest tattooed to his friend's arm.  
"You're a Mandalorian?"  
He asked after Revan's plan had been explained. Revan sighed heavily and nodded once. Ian returned the gesture.  
"I always wondered why they respected you. I suppose you all think alike."  
Revan gave Ian a sour expression before the older exile shook his head.

"No point in arguing. We can't change what is, only what will be."

Revan took a deep breath and allowed it to pass from him as a shudder ran up his spine.  
"I have a bad feeling about this..."  
Ian commented. Revan snorted and nodded agreement before the older man bowed to him and departed.

_"I am going to die."_

Revan shook his head at the thought.  
_"I am going to die, slowly..."_

Snorting at his own dark humor, Revan rose and turned to leave the peaceful gardens when he sensed someone's eyes on him. The former Jedi turned and stared in the direction of a nearby tree and shook his head.

"Its been a while hasn't it?"  
Revan said a bit too loudly. Bastila sighed and came from her hiding place, staring at the armored man.

"You know you look awful in that don't you?"  
Bastila teased. Revan smirked slightly, though the weight of what was about to happen was distracting him from the peace he felt in Bastila's presence. Revan turned, unaware of the wistful smile on his face and glad he still wore his mask as his jaw dropped slightly.

"What the hell are you wearing?"  
Bastila smiled sheepishly, turning slightly to Revan could see the light brown, form-fitting silk-like outfit she wore. Revan shook his head, trying to block out how much Bastila had changed in the several months since he had seen her._  
_"What do you think?"  
Bastila asked, a gentle flush rising to her cheeks.

"..."

Bastila frowned slightly at the lack of response and was about to speak her mind when Revan suddenly motioned to her to follow him. With a small scowl, Bastila followed the former Jedi until he finally led her to a waterfall and small stream. The area was deep within the Temple gardens and Bastila could not sense any Jedi nearby.

"This... this is beautiful..."  
Bastila sighed as she took in the stunning and private view of the Temple gardens. Revan nodded slightly, his mind still playing over the guarantee of death and torture in his near future.  
"As are you..."

Revan replied quietly as he lowered his hood and removed his mask. Bastila flushed slightly and stared contently at her friend for a moment. The months since she had seen him last had taken their toll. Revan's skin was pale, too pale to be considered healthy and Bastila could clearly make out the worry lines in his young face.  
"Who are the Bloodravens?"

Bastila blurted out suddenly, not knowing anything else to speak of. Bastila cursed herself mentally as she saw Revan tense. Bastila had immersed herself in studying the strange tattoo on Revan's arm and had discovered something that brought a bit of pride to her. Atris was wrong. The symbol was not that of the Raven Clan but of the Bloodravens. The texts she had read were vague at best and as far as she could tell, the Bloodravens where merely a family, a sub-clan in the larger Raven Clan. Bastila watched Revan's face for any signs of a response and was shocked to see his wary expression.  
"I have never told anyone this before, Bastila."

Revan muttered as he slowly rolled the sleeve of his tunic up to reveal the obsidian Raven superimposed over a crimson shield.

"The Bloodravens where a Clan of Mandalorians that could wield the Force. They don't really know where the power came from but it was said that each member of that Clan could use the Force with little to no training, meaning they held an unbelievably powerful affinity to the Force. The Bloodravens acted as Mandalore's personal guard and there were only allowed to be thirty at a time, selected from birth that would pass to adulthood. After Ulic Qel-Droma defeated Mandalore in their duel, Mandalore pledged himself to the Dark Jedi and allied with he and Exar Kun. The Raven Clan, which was where the Bloodravens came from, where wiped out and only a few dozen lived beyond Exar Kun. The Bloodravens where decimated as well and only two survived. A man and a woman... and they had a child before they were killed by a Jedi Knight. This Jedi Knight had killed them in defense though she did not know she was trespassing in Bloodraven territory... She later found the child... he was only five at the time... and she saw the potential within him. She saw the potential in him to do good instead of evil and she took him back to her people to teach him the ways of the Jedi only to abandon him a decade later to fight his people once more..."

Bastila stared, wide-eyed at Revan as he told her of who she could only presume to be his parents and what had befallen them as well as the way he had become a Jedi. The young Padawan felt a heavy weight settle in her stomach and looked to the ground. She had been given to the Order by her parents while he had his parents taken away by the Order only to be taken in by the one who had killed them.   
"Do you hate her?"

She asked timidly. Revan sighed and sat back, staring at the waterfall and allowing the gentle flow of its waters to calm him.

"Mandalorians are taught not to hate. Jedi are taught not to hate."  
Bastila frowned at the analogy but said nothing.

"To a Mandalorian, honor is everything. Kreia was a better warrior and defeated my parents in battle and deserves the honor that comes from that. She raised me from the age of five on and taught me of the ways of the Jedi. Mandalorians do not kill for some bloodlust or anything else so sinister. It is their pride, they glory that they seek. Few of them still hold true to the ways of their people as they should, to the roots of their honor, but it is always there, keeping them in check."

Revan slowly sat up and looked over to Bastila, who had seated herself beside him and was staring at something only she could see.  
"That is what is so strange about this war... It is as if there is something behind it, manipulating and driving the Mandalorians. Mandalores rarely waste their time killing innocents and when they do there is always a purpose. They would obliterate an entire planet of innocents if they thought a soldier was hiding amongst them simply because they hate only one thing. Cowardice. They want their enemy to know that they will die regardless of where they hide or run to simply for want of an opponent that will fight back. The worlds they ravage are left to those amongst their own ranks that have no honor and desert, living off the native populations... pirates and slavers... the Hutts, the Exchange, even Czerka."

Revan sighed heavily.

"There is always someone who is willing to take advantage of someone else's misfortune, that is what disgusts me, that is what I am fighting to stop..."

Bastila remained silent, allowing Revan to speak. She knew he had been holding this in all his life and that he had placed a lot of trust in her to tell her, even if her own curiosity was the catalyst for this situation. Revan trusting her enough to tell her these things touched her in a way and she smiled softly as she reached over and brushed her hand across his face. Revan jumped with a start, staring at Bastila for a moment with a questioning expression.  
"What-"

"Shhh."

Bastila answered as she continued to stare into his tired, yet still passionate brown eyes.

"I never knew anything about your past but you knew everything about me... now I see why you did not tell me."  
Bastila answered softly, watching his eyes shift slightly.  
"That must have been difficult to live with and to relive it each time you kill one of your own..."

Bastila trailed off as a tear shimmered in her eyes.

"Why do you understand me so well? We've only known each other what? Three years and I've barely seen you..."

Revan answered in a miserable tone. Bastila continued to stroke the side of his face, brushing a stray strand of hair back. Slowly, Bastila moved closer to him and brought her other hand to his face, brushing her lips against his softly as she kissed him. Bastila felt Revan stiffen in response before he groaned quietly and returned the kiss. After a moment, he broke away gently and sat up with a troubled expression.  
"What's wrong?"  
Bastila asked softly, frightened she had placed their friendship at risk by her bold move. Revan stared at the endless blue of her eyes and allowed his own misery to reflect in his.  
"We can't have this, Bastila. We can only be friends."

Bastila frowned slightly, not knowing what to say but relieved that he was not angry. Revan stared at his eighteen year old friend, suddenly feeling a pang in his chest that made him feel as if he were going to collapse. He would be dead soon, either by the Mandalorians or by the Mass Shadow device and would never have to deal with the consequences, while Bastila... He did not know what love was and was not some fool who chose to declare something he was taught to never feel or to hide, but he knew he would never take advantage of Bastila as he was tempted to for the briefest moment when she had kissed him, he would never dishonor her by putting at risk, all she had sacrificed her parents and youth for. He was not selfish enough to ask her to choose him over the Jedi and he would die before he even considered that.

"Are you angry with me?"  
Bastila asked, seeing his glazed expression and startling him from his thoughts.

"Of course not!"  
Revan snapped, grinning.  
"I actually am rather flattered that a lovely young lady such as yourself would consider a lowly Supreme Commander of the Republic and Jedi Fleet such as myself."  
Bastila stared at Revan, expressionless for a moment before smiling and slapping his shoulder playfully.

"You're teasing me!"  
She chided. Revan chuckled softly, reveling in the peace he felt at that moment.

"My deepest apologies, Princess Padawan!"

Revan replied as a mischievous glint lit his eyes. Revan stiffened as he spoke, preparing for the coming attack.

"Revan!"

Bastila gasped, slapping him across the face.   
"How many times have I told you NEVER to call me that?"

Revan smirked as he rubbed his red cheek.

"The real question is how many times have I listened?"

Revan dodged the next blow and was soon rolling around the garden, laughing and teasing his friend, trying to ignore the guilt that was gnawing at him for not telling her he would not be there for her.

_"I am doing this for her, I can't let the Mandalorians win."_

A shudder racked Revan for a moment as he stared into Bastila's eyes. He loathed to think of what would happen to her if the Mandalorians conquered the Republic.

"Commander."  
Revan stood and looked in the direction of the voice, eyeing Bastila for a moment. General Kenobi soon approached in a run, slowing to a stop as he caught his breath.

"The Mandalorians are attacking Duros..."

Revan nodded and turned to Bastila, giving her an apologetic look before sprinting away with Ian. Bastila frowned as she watched the two former Jedi race away, hating to be left behind and hating that her friend was risking his life.

"How long ago did the attack begin?"

Ian led Revan to the Jedi Temple's hangar.

"Just a few minutes ago. They have a lot of men, Revan. More than we thought they'd have."

Revan stared at Ian for a moment before nodding and boarding a transport hastily, leaving Coruscant and all thoughts of peace behind.

"Where is Malak?"  
Revan asked, not having seen his friend since he stormed out of the Jedi Council chambers. Ian snorted slightly.

"He's with the fleet about ten minutes ahead of us."

Revan nodded, looking over the initial data of the Mandalorian attack and freezing.

"What the hell?"

Revan questioned, turning to Ian.

"Why are they attacking the-"

Revan silenced his thoughts, turning to the datapad again.

"They're trying to draw us out, they'll be long gone by the time we get there. They want to send us a message..."

Ian narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Revan.

"What do you mean?"

The General asked warily, not really wanting to know the answer.

"This war has been fought on a very small scale, one planet at a time. The Mandalorians have been so spread out that they cannot form a decent and tactical assault aside from the initial one five years ago. They want a showdown. They want to show the Republic and the Jedi just who they are dealing with. Have you noticed how they are abandoning and destroying worlds recently? Its an old tactic, destroy your enemy's resources and add their strength to your own... They are forcing their prisoners to fight for them..."

Revan laughed quietly.

"I think they are getting tired of waiting, I think they had the same idea we did. Lets end this, Ian."  
Ian nodded agreement.

"I'll be aboard the Ravager, completing preparations on the Mass Shadow Device and I will head straight to Malachor V after the assault..."

Revan nodded and turned from Ian, staring at the hyperspace trail.

"Ian."

The General turned to his comrade and waited.

"I'll likely be dead and Malak will be too busy fighting on Malachor when the time comes... can you do it?"

Ian nodded his head slowly, sighing heavily.  
"I can."

Revan nodded and turned away, continuing to stare at the hyperspace trail as Ian left the bridge and headed towards the landing bay.

"Good, you may have to."  
The former Jedi whispered, pondering how he would fall into the Mandalorian's hands and lead them to Malachor V.


	5. Chapter 5: Falling

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5: Falling

"Have you seen the suffering of those who starve because of this war? Have you seen the look of despair in a mother's eyes when she looks to her children and tells them their father is dead? Do you see your friends and comrades falling around you and know that no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, nothing will help them? Have you seen the bodies, oh so many bodies that have been broken and destroyed or the ruins of those once great cities and races that now burn because of your inaction? Have you seen anything besides the mounds of credits you pile before you and shove in your fat faces?"  
Malak roared to the Senate advisors as he stormed past them with a look of hate painted on his face. None of the Senators spoke as the former Jedi left them. A week had passed since Revan and Malak had driven off the Mandalorians over Duro. The world's once glorious orbital cities now lay in ruins, silent graves of countless Duros, Republic soldiers, Jedi and Mandalorians. The Mandalorians were far from weak and were far from defeated as the Republic had thought and Duro had been their first strike against a core world. What had enraged the former Jedi Knight more than anything was that the only reason the Republic even considered doing a damn thing about it was the amount of money lost in trade and destruction and not of the millions of lives lost. Revan remained behind, staring at the Senators as they stared after Malak with contempt and arrogant distaste.

"Can you believe that!"

An Aqualish Senator scoffed. Revan shook his head and turned to the Senator.

"To be so weak and so blind as you are I cannot..."

Revan shook his head in disgust before leaving the suddenly speechless Senators. Never had Revan spoken to the Senate in anything close to disrespect and the Senators watched the respected and charismatic leader follow his friend's path.

"I can't believe I risked my life to save the likes of you."

Revan spat acidly as he passed through the doorway, leaving the Senators even more shocked by his behavior.

"Malak!"

Revan called after his friend's retreating form. Malak spun and stared at Revan with rage in his eyes.

"Why are we even doing this! The Mandalorians are right! We should let them die!"

Revan nodded before his common sense could stop him and sighed.

"I don't understand how anyone... the Senate, the Jedi Council... can be so... detached from what is happening... I have seen it, felt it in each of those battles. Do you feel it too?"

Revan asked his friend, relieved when Malak nodded.

"The silence that follows a battle... it always amazes me. To the Jedi those battle echo pain and death and they can hear or see nothing beyond that... but they have not been there, they can't see what is before them... Did you feel it? Even on Dxun I felt it. Something is manipulating the Mandalorians, something that seeks to weaken us... the Jedi and the Republic... and they are succeeding."

Malak grunted before narrowing his eyes and looking over a nearby balcony, staring towards the five spires of the Jedi Temple that lay across the walkway from the Senate rotunda.

"There was always weakness... this is something else..."

Revan nodded his agreement.

"On Korriban... when we sought out the Star Forge... have you ever wondered what happened to the Ancient Sith and their Empire? To have all that knowledge and... power lost to sand and wind seems..."

"Impossible?"

Malak finished as Revan shook his head.

"No, it seems too convenient. We know that the true Sith did not die out in the Great Hyperspace War a Millennium ago, they were merely weakened. We know that Exar Kun found remnants of those that followed Naga Sadow on Yavin IV. The Massassi Temples and the primitive descendants of those ancient Sith..."

Malak seemed to pale slightly as Revan paused.

"I heard a rumor that the Sith pressed the Mandalorians into this war... A young Mandalorian prisoner with a mouth too big that was killed by his comrades... but still. Where would these Sith come from? Those that followed Exar Kun died in the bombardment of Yavin or were killed by the Jedi... Perhaps the first Sith Empire never collapsed as we thought?"

Malak coughed suddenly, turning from the view of the Jedi Temple and processing the thoughts he and his friend exchanged.

"Those are dangerous thoughts..."

Revan smirked and shrugged.

"As dangerous as seeking out the Star Forge and the ruins of the Traya Academy on Malachor V?"

Malak turned and gave Revan a scolding look.

"You walk a fine line my friend... We... walk a fine line..."

Malak finished, turning from Revan and glaring at the Jedi Temple.

"Look at them over there, content to sit in their spires and watch the galaxy die... If what you say is true, then they were right, Revan. Perhaps we should not have gone off to war... perhaps these Sith are lurking beyond their vision and preparing for the attack. Force knows this war had nearly destroyed a fifth of the Order..."

Revan nodded, crossing his arms tightly over his chest as he stared indifferently towards the Jedi Temple.

"Do you feel how much we've changed? Three years ago we were nothing more than newly Knighted children wielding a weapon that was too heavy for us and now..."

Revan paused, turning his gaze to the deep canyons that lined the Cityscape as the echoes of pain and misery that existed a few kilometers below brushed his senses.

"Now we are stronger than we could have dreamed..."

Malak whispered, following Revan's gaze as his face shifted to a mournful expression.

"As my Master used to always say. 'It is conflict that strengthens us, Padawan!'"

Malak snorted and shook his head.

"Kreia always was a bit eccentric..."

Revan laughed as he slapped his hand on Malak's shoulder, causing the taller former Jedi to lurch slightly.

"I think that is a requirement for being as Jedi Master, my friend."

Malak allowed a ghost of a smile to play on his lips as he and Revan turned, leaving all thoughts of the Republic and Jedi behind and occupying their thoughts with the coming battle.

"Mandalore!"

A young Mandalorian Elite shouted as he rushed into the bridge of Mandalore's flagship. The Mandalorian leader turned his armored form to the approaching Elite and nodded as the Mandalorian bowed at his wait and brought his right fist over his heart in a salute.

"Speak."

The silver armored man spoke, his voice tearing through the deathly silent bridge.

"Scouts have reported that Revan has landed on Kuan in the Taroon system... His forces are minimal and it appears to be a scouting mission."

Mandalore smirked beneath his silver mask as he stared at the Mandalorian Elite.

"What are you waiting for? Send a dropship and a squad of battlecruisers at once!"

Mandalore turned from the man as he saluted.

"Yes, Mandalore!"

The Elite vanished from his leader's sight and Mandalore smiled as he looked over the starfield.

_"I wonder if Revan will allow us to capture him... He would be the most valuable of hostages. It's a shame he's not a Mandalorian."_

Mandalore's head dropped slightly as he thought of killing such a worthy opponent.

_"We will see if he's worthy... I can only hope for his sake that he has the honor to die in battle and not be taken prisoner."_

The Mandalorian leader smirked as he thought of how quickly the war would end with Revan's death, though part of him regretted killing such a worthy opponent another was thrilled at the idea of defeating him.

_"We will see..."_

"Commander!"

An anxious Republic soldier shouted as he ran into the small Republic encampment on Kuan. Revan looked up, nodding to the young soldier as he brushed dust away from his robes.

"Yes Corporal?"

The former Jedi asked as he adjusted the focusing lens of his newly constructed lightsaber. The azure crystal gleamed brightly in its casing and Revan quickly snapped the pieces together, preparing to assemble a second lightsaber.

"We've finished our patrols and the men are rejoining the fleet..."

Revan nodded as he quickly and expertly assembled his second lightsaber, placing a ruby red crystal in the hilt and sliding the mechanism into the saber's hilt.  
"Very good."

Revan looked up to the young man sadly.

"You should leave as well."

The young Corporal frowned as he looked around the encampment.

"But sir there are no others here..."

The Corporal trailed off as Revan tilted his head.

"Are you implying that I cannot defend myself?"

Revan snarled. The Corporal backed away and shook his head. Revan nodded.

"There's a fighter on the third landing pad, I will be taking the transport."

_"You'll be needing its speed."_

Revan added to himself as the Corporal saluted and scurried away. The fighter soon blasted away and Revan sighed, checking his newly assembled lightsabers and rubbing his hooded head in thought.  
"I wonder how long I will have to wait."

Revan's eyes scanned the small encampment in irritation. Luckily this wouldn't be a costly trap for the Mandalorians but he did dread being tortured once more by them. The young former Jedi stretched in his armor and checked the small shield that lay strapped to his bicep.

_"Oh I am not going to make this easy."_

The former Jedi smirked as he began typing false reports on a datapad about the border world's adequacy as a hidden base, making certain to mention the fleet's secret base on Malachor V. Revan chuckled as he shook his head. The datapad would not be convincing, but since the Mandalorians had never discovered his men were attacking from Taris and that he would be found along with the datapad, he suspected the Mandalorians would fall for the trap. Ian had told him he needed three days to complete preparations on the Mass Shadow Device and his fleet would be assembled in full force over Taris within another day of that.

_"I only have to hold out a week... I've done that before."_

Revan nodded silently to himself as he made his way to his transport, purposely damaging several key components to the ship's drive and takeoff repulsors.

_"No such thing as overkill when it comes to subterfuge."_

The former Jedi made certain his sabotage was not so obvious before pulling a hydrospanner and hastily patching the damage.

_"I doubt the Mandalorians would think a warrior to be a great engineer."_

Revan chuckled, rising from the floor and walking back to the small encampment, making certain that the base's computer core was wiped before sticking his lightsaber into the device.

_"Overkill, I know."_

Revan chastised himself, searching the base to make certain his plan would not be _too_ believable. Just enough that Mandalore would not suspect a trap. It would make sense that Revan would choose Malachor V for his headquarters. The Mandalorian's paranoia of the rocky world was well known and Revan suspected Mandalore would be most displeased when he learned of the location.

_"I suppose I should make it look like I was doing actual work."_

Revan activated several construction droids, making certain that they began building perimeter defenses and a sensor perimeter before heading to the Base's command area and leaving a notice for the base's next commander that the droids were set to automatic. The former Jedi slowly paced the office, making certain the base's long range scanners were conveniently malfunctioning.

"I think this is a little too obvious..."

Revan groaned as a beep sounded from the scanner console. Revan walked to the device as a Mandalorian scout ship appeared, nodding to himself as he rushed to the hangar to _repair_ his _damaged _transport.

An hour of waiting brought the Mandalorians. Revan rushed from his transport and retreated into his base, heading for the command center to send out a false distress signal before he leapt to one of the rooftops and waited. A dozen Mandalorians came into view, their weapons raised as he looked over the base. Revan levitated himself with the Force and landed softly before them, smirking beneath his mask as he bowed his head. Several blaster shots came towards him and reflected harmlessly from his energy shield as the Republic Commander raised both his hands, sending six of the Mandalorians flying into the air. The remaining six watched in awe and horror as their friends were thrown upward by Revan's power, vanishing from their sight. Two lightsabers came from Revan's robes and to his hands as the azure and crimson beams ignited, signaling the return of the battle. Revan rushed a Mandalorian, slicing through his blaster rifle and continuing through the man's body as he deflected several shots back to two other armored warriors. Revan leapt over a hail of blasterfire and dropped onto the shoulders of one of the three remaining Mandalores, driving his azure beam straight down the man's head and into his spine. Revan leapt from the falling warrior's shoulders and spun through the air as he brought his crimson saber through another Mandalorian's helmet. The final Mandalorian threw away his blaster, only to find his lower body and Vibroblade on the ground and his torso following before darkness took him.

Revan's head snapped to an approaching blaster bolt and his azure saber flicked the offending blast into the distance as a scream sounded from the attacker. The Jedi broke into a sprint, using the Force to propel his body upwards. Three years of war had hardened the once skillful Knight into a tool of death. Dropping to the ground, Revan used the Force to speed up his movements as he cut his way through dozens of armored Mandalorians.

"Where is he?"

A Mandalorian commander bellowed as he grabbed a younger officer by his breastplate. The Younger Mandalorian simply stared blankly at his commander as a lightsaber cut its way through the dropship's bulkhead. Revan rose slowly from the hole, allowing his shield to deflect the blaster bolts away from him. His boots hit the floor with a thud as he calmed his breathing. He estimated that he had killed somewhere around a hundred Mandalorians in nearly two hours of fighting. The Mandalorian commander motioned to another Mandalore and Revan watched as a forcefield activated around him.

"Activate the gas vents."

The Mandalorian shouted to his security officer as he watched Revan tap the field with one of his lightsabers. Sighing, Revan took a deep breath and attached his lightsabers to his belt, seating himself on the floor and crossing his legs as he slowly levitated and a barely visible blue field surrounded him. The sound of metal twisting alerted the Mandalorians that their plan had not worked. The forcefield collapsed, sending the poisonous gas through the bridge, though the Mandalorians were unaffected within their armor.

"Activate the stun pulse."

The Mandalorian shouted as Revan stood and walked towards him. Revan's left arm raised as the commander was thrown across the bridge and into the dropship's command console. The console exploded in a flash of electricity as the deadly energy coursed through the commander. Revan quickly sidestepped a thrust from a Mandalorian warrior, allowing the warrior's momentum to take him to the ground. Revan brought his knee into the back of the Mandalorian's neck, breaking it instantly as he pulled his azure saber and deflected the blasterfire away from his failing shield unit.

A heavy hum vibrated through the bridge of the vessel and Revan frowned as a bright blue light filled the room, sending all the Mandalorians to the ground.

"Sithspit."

Revan cursed as numbness threatened him. The Jedi looked around quickly for the control console, only to have another stun pulse tear through the bridge and bring him to his knees. Revan quickly pulled his false datapad from his cloak and code-locked it before another pule sent him into darkness.

_"Well I suppose that worked."_

Revan muttered to himself as consciousness escaped him.

Mandalore's hands tightened into fists as he read the casualty reports. The Republic position had been taken and ransacked, but all tactical information had been destroyed prior to their arrival. The only value that came from the raid was an encrypted datapad that would likely take days to break and Revan. Mandalore's fists tightened even further. Revan had killed a hundred and seventeen of his men in three hours on that rock and he came out without a scratch on him.

_"A worthy warrior..."_

Mandalore scoffed at the thought. True, Revan had killed many of his men in battle and his battle strategies had ground his advance to a halt but what kind of warrior disgraces himself by being captured. He had even received a report that the Mandalorians that captured him gave him the option to take his own life to spare his honor. The refusal had been a slap in the face to the warriors who beat the Jedi till he fell unconscious. That led to another problem. When the Mandalorians had stripped the Jedi of his armor they had seen the mark of the Bloodravens on Revan and if that were the case, he needed to be punished. It sickened Mandalore to think of torturing the man to death but he knew it was an insult to his people to allow Revan to live. The man was responsible for the death of millions of his own kind and for that, he needed to die the traitor's death.

A week of tortures yielded no information from Revan. Even cutting away the mark of his dishonor had done little to get a response from the Jedi as they tore the Bloodraven symbol from his arm and burned the bleeding wound shut before beating him again. The warrior's resolve and his resilience impressed and frightened the Mandalorians as they tried to break him. Revan merely stared at them with pity as they beat him and burned him and whipped him.

Revan groaned inwardly as he awoke in his cell, staring at the small voice that had interrupted him. The Jedi hissed slightly as he shifted, feeling the broken bones of his ribs digging into him. Revan loathed to think of how long he'd have to spend in a kolto tank should he survive. He had learned that one of the Mandalorian codebreakers had accessed his datapad and that Mandalore was preparing to strike Malachor V. The thought brought a smile to Revan's lips though the smile was accompanied by a groan as he began coughing up blood.

_"Must've punctured a lung..."_

Revan cursed the restraints that kept his hands firmly tied behind his back and the Force disruptor collar that was digging into his neck. Being blind to the Force was not a pleasant experience for the former Jedi. Remembering why he had awakened, Revan turned to see two curious green eyes staring at him.

"I- I brought you your food..."

The girl said quietly as she placed the small plate near the opening of his cage-like cell. Revan fought his coughing fit and nodded to the girl, who continued to stare at him.

_"What the Force is a little girl doing here?"  
_Revan thought to himself after quieting his coughing. The girl looked to be twelve or thirteen and judging by the red hair the girl had as well as her emerald clothing, Revan supposed she was a Corellian.

"What's your name?"

Revan asked in a dry and cracked voice, fighting not to cough once more. The girl gave a small smile as she replied quietly.

"Mira."

Revan grunted in response as he looked down to the first meal the Mandalorians had provided him.

_"Maybe that want a little fun before they kill me..."_

Revan mused darkly to himself.

"Are you Revan?"

Revan's eyes snapped frm the food to the young girl. He nodded slightly, stumbling over to the food and pondering how he was going to eat. Another thought raced through Revan's mind.

_"How long as it been since I've drank anything?"_

Revan swallowed, tasting the bitter remnants of blood in his dry throat.

_"Anything but my own blood..."_

Revan sighed, looking down at the food.

_"They want me to eat like an animal, they want to humiliate me."_

Revan was shocked to reality when the girl lifted a utensil and attempted to feed him. Revan coughed and sputtered as he tried to keep the food in his stomach and gave the girl a thankful nod.

"Thanks."  
Revan muttered as the girl handed him a cup filled with water and allowed him to drink from it. Revan leaned back with a sigh, feeling the cool liquid calm the aching in his throat.

"Is what they say about you true?"

The girl asked, staring strangely at him. Revan's brow knitted together as he turned to her.

"Well I suppose that depends on what they say."

Revan grinned despite himself.

_"I know, arrogance is not the way of the Jedi!"_

Revan's mind chided as he listened to the girl speak of his accomplishments in battle. Revan felt his muscles tense suddenly and watched as the girl suddenly backed away. A group of armored Mandalorians entered the prison area and stepped into his cell, kicking the barely touched food away as they approached the former Jedi.

"On your feet."

Revan sighed, pulling himself to his feet as two Mandalorians restrained him and the doors to the cell opened to reveal Mandalore himself. The Mandalorian leader sneered through his mask at the girl as she quickly scurried away. Revan sighed, shaking his head in mockery towards the Mandalorian leader.

"Its about time. Making an important guest wait for a week is considered very rude in some cultures."

Revan smirked as the Mandalorian leader trembled with anger. Mandalore pulled Revan to his feet, taking his left arm and pulling it to the cell door, slamming the door on Revan's arm, shattering the bones. Revan winced, but only grunted as he was struck in the face my the Mandalorian.

"What a disgrace. You a Bloodraven?"

Mandalore kicked Revan as his body dropped from the blow, backhanding him across his temple with his armored gauntlets. Revan felt spots swimming in his vision as a sharp pain entered his chest. Looking down through blood-filled eyes, Revan saw Mandalore digging his hand into his solar plexus as he repeatedly dealt blows to his stomach. Mandalore finally stopped as his prisoner spurted blood against his silver armor. Dropping Revan to the floor, Mandalore delivered one last kick to his side before speaking.

"Revan Bloodraven, you are found guilty of treason to your people."

Revan coughed as he fought to regain control of his body's spasms of pain. Mandalore sneered and brought his metal boot into Revan's shattered arm, twisting his heel back and forth as Revan fought to keep from crying out in pain.

"You still remain silent? Perhaps you can retain your honor."

Mandalore lifted his bloody boot from Revan's arm and motioned to his guards to hold Revan. How the binds had left his hand, Revan did not know as he looked down to his shattered arm.

_"It can be fixed. A healing trance or two... damn this collar."_

A blinding pain shot through Revan as his vision sparked white for a moment. Only the iron grasp of the two Mandalorian guards kept him from falling on his face as he heard the hum of the Force-whip.

_"Damn."_

Revan cursed as the whip hissed through the air and connected once more with his back. The whip slid slowly, the energy encasing it eating through his flesh as painful volts of energy shot into him. Revan coughed violently and was suddenly aware of a small voice.

"Stop it!"  
Revan managed to turn his head to see the young girl, Mira that had brought him his meal weeping as she backed away. Mandalore sneered to the girl beneath his mask.

"What's the matter brat? You should know by now that only weaklings allow themselves to be tortured."

The girl's green eyes were brimmed with tears as she looked to Revan.

"Hold her."

Mandalore ordered as a guard grabbed the girl's shoulders and brought her to kneel in front of Revan.

"Watch and learn, child."  
Mandalore spat as he pulled the whip back to strike her. Revan threw his weight to the side with strength he did not know he possessed and blocked the whip, crying out as it wrapped around his arm and tore the flesh.

"Leave. Her. Out. Of. This."

Mandalore smirked, slowly pulling on the whip to prolong Revan's pain.

"So be it, traitor. Let this be a lesson, brat. Only the strong can keep from being as helpless as the fool before you. He could have ended this but he didn't. He is weak and helpless."

"No!"

Mira screamed as Mandalore continued beating Revan with the Force-whip. Revan felt the urge to vomit as his body jolted from the pain. Turning his head upwards he swallowed the blood and bile in his throat and shook his head to Mira.

_"Don't push them."_

The girl nodded, hearing his silent message as Revan bowed his head and took another blow of the whip. The Force-whip was an interesting device. It transmitted enough pain to keep the receiver conscious while sealing the cuts it created, allowing its victims to remain conscious much longer than a normal whip. Revan was left an hour later a trembling mass of torn flesh, receiving one last kick to his ribs as Mandalore shook his head.

"Look at what you are reduced to, warrior."

Mandalore signaled to the guards to release Mira, who had been silently sobbing the entire time. Mandalore slowly knelt before the girl, grasping her shoulder painfully.

"Do you want to be helpless? Do you want to be forced to do that?"

Mandalore spat, tilting his head to Revan. Mira shivered slightly and shook her head. Mandalore chuckled as he brushed his armored hand through her flame colored hair.

"Good, child."

Mandalore turned to Revan and spoke in a snarl.

"I will do to her what I did to you if you do not tell me where your forces are."

Revan licked the blood from his lips as he looked through swollen eyes to the Mandalorian leader.  
"You already know."

Mandalore laughed cruelly.

"Yes, but I want you to say it."

To emphasize his point, Mandalore pulled on Mira's red locks, tilting his head as the girl let out a painful noise and raising her small form from the floor.  
"Ma- Malachor."

Revan snarled as best he could, wishing he could choke the life from the Mandalorian leader. Mandalore nodded and dropped Mira heavily to the floor.

"Good, Jedi."

Mandalore mocked as he and his guards left. Mira cast a sad look to the beaten and broken Jedi that lay now motionless on the floor.

_"I never want to be helpless again... I never want to see that again."_

Shivering, Mira slowly made her way to Revan and pulled away the tatters that had once been his blood-stained Jedi robes. To her shock, Revan was smiling to her.  
"They can't break you unless you let them, unless you give up hope."

Mira gaped at Revan as he forced himself to sit, pulling on his broken arm with his good one and wincing.

"Do you think you could get me some rags?"

Revan asked, knowing Mandalorians liked it when their prisoners were alive longer. Mira nodded before leaving Revan alone in his cell. Sighing heavily, Revan leaned forward to rest on his battered knees.

_"Soon the battle will begin... maybe then I can die in peace."_

A sudden feeling of dread entered Revan. The Mandalorians would strike in full force against Malachor V and that meant that the ship he was in would fight as well. Turning his bloodied face to where Mira had just left, Revan groaned, rubbing his right hand through his bloody locked of auburn hair.

_"_Shit."


	6. Chapter 6: Shadows

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 6: Shadows

"Good morning, Bloodraven."

Mandalore spoke in a mockingly sweet tone as Revan was dragged onto his ship's bridge. Spots swam in Revan's vision as he was knocked against the side of the head with a blaster rifle stock and was struck in his abdomen. Mandalore signaled to his guards to back away.

"I wanted you to see something..."

Mandalore trailed off as Revan fought to regain focus and looked up. The viewport of the Mandalorian battlecruiser only showed a hyperspace trail and Revan involuntarily coughed as he wiped the blood with his now free hands.

"What, the beauty of hyperspace?"

Revan asked in a tight tone. Nearly a month at the hands of Mandalore and his tortures was eating away at the former Jedi Knight and he was having quite enough of it. Mandalore chuckled without humor as he turned his back to Revan and stared through the viewport.

"Patience, your suffering will soon be over, traitor."  
The hyperspace trail soon gave way to a starfield and what looked to be a tiny gray-green orb.

"Welcome to Malachor V."

Mandalore motioned to his guards to bring Revan closer. The Republic commander was roughly led to the viewport where he watched in fascinated horror.

_"That wasn't part of the plan..."_

"It seems the Jedi and the Senate sent reinforcements here a few days ago, according to my scouts. I hear your friend Malak protested fervently... It was so very easy to track them here."

_"They're too close to the planet! What are they doing here?"_

Revan's mind began calculating his options.

_"Only one thing I can do."_

Before either guard could react, Revan had broken from their iron grasps and had disarmed one of his vibroblade. Mandalore heard the movement and spun in time to see his two guards fall to the ground in a lifeless heap. For being tortured for nearly a month and nearly broken, Revan was surprised how well his fighting instincts came into focus.

"I challenge you, Mandalore."

Revan snarled. Mandalore stiffened and turned to the rest of his crew as they lowered their weapons. Mandalore laughed outright as shook his head.

"Very well, fool."

Mandalore removed his weapons and set them on the ground before approaching Revan and taking a fighting stance.

"If you believe you can kill me with your bare hands."

Revan threw his stolen vibroblade away and took another stance, ignoring the sight of the Mandalorian fleet charging the Republic and Jedi positions.

_"Fools, why do they wait until now to fight?"  
_Revan snorted to himself in disgust.

_"Likely to take credit for ending the war."_

Revan's capture had sent a shockwave through the Jedi Order and the Republic. Especially when it was discovered by a spy that he was being tortured to death. The sudden loss of their hero spurred the Republic's painfully slow decision to send more soldiers into battle as well as increased pressure on the Jedi Order to take action. The Jedi had agreed to send as many Knights as they could to safeguard the new Republic forces. Not wanting to admit that nearly half the Order was ready to leave in order to save Revan.

Revan charged Mandalore, trying to keep his broken arm as far away from the Clan leader as possible as he struck out and kicked the armored man with his boots which thankfully he was allowed to keep on. Mandalore staggered, either from the blow or shock, Revan did not know.

_"After all..."_

Revan grinned to himself.

_"How dangerous is a man who's been tortured to the point of near-death."_

Revan moved swiftly, finding a new appreciation for Mira's care as his body protested each movement with a shot of blinding pain. The former Jedi could feel the Force on the edges of his senses and tried to ignore the Force-dampening collar's effect on him. Being cut off from the Force was nearly as unbearable as the tortures themselves. Revan sidestepped Mandalore's considerably slower attack and wove an intricate pattern around the armored man as he swiftly struck loose portions of his armor and where he believed to be weaknesses. It seemed Mandalore's confidence was beginning to wane.

From the bridge of the Ravager, Ian Kenobi watched in horror as his fleet approached Malachor V. The Republic had sent a detachment along with the Jedi to hold Malachor V. Apparently, some genius in the Senate thought the Mandalorians would move against the base and that the best strategy would be to wait in orbit for the Mandalores. The Mandalores came, and in force. Ian groaned as he caught sight of the massive Mandalorian fleet, already engaging the much smaller Republic and Jedi Forces.

"Someone didn't get the battle plan, apparently."

Ian scoffed as he ordered his fleet to move to help protect the new Republic and Jedi Forces.

Malak scanned the battlefield, glaring at the newly arrive Republic vessels.

"What the hell are they doing here:

He practically shouted as he slammed his fists into a console.

"Now that the war is almost over, they decide to battle?"

Malak asked no one in particular as he sent various orders to his forces to try to protect the inexperienced Republic fleet over Malachor. The former Jedi sombered slightly as he caught sight of the Mandalorian fleet. Basilisks swarmed Republic ships and tore into Malachor's atmosphere. Mandalorian battlecruisers charged the inexperienced Republic forces head on, driving into them and scattering the terrified soldiers. The Jedi had seemed to reserve themselves to fighters which Malak was thankful for. He had only discovered that the Republic and Jedi were going to reinforce them and he did not know the fools would take it upon themselves to choose where and when the forces arrived.

"Tell them to get out of Malachor's gravity well... Where are the Interdictor ships, we need their field generators or we're done for!"

Malak and Ian had discovered that an Interdictor ship could use its gravity well projector to cancel out the effects of the Mass Shadow Device and were glad that the Mandalorians refused to use the heavy battleships.

Mandalore blocked Revan's kick and reached out, grasping the Jedi's broken arm. The Mandalorian leader tightened his grasp and pulled as hard as he could, satisfied when he heard the bone pop from its joint. Revan staggered from the pain and barely avoided the punch Mandalore threw towards him. Mandalore laughed as Revan backed away. Revan took a moment to regain his senses and channel the pain, which was easily being replaced by anger. The former Jedi spared a glance out the viewport to see the Republic and Jedi forces tat had joined his fleet being devastated and Malak and Ian's forced nearing them.

"This ends, now."  
Revan snarled as he leapt over Mandalore and dropped behind him. Mandalore turned around, a surprised expression on his face as Revan grasped a tube to his helm and tore it free, backhanding the Mandalorian with his undamaged arm. Mandalore fell, gasping for breath as he struggled for breath. The leader tore away his damaged silver helm and charged the former Jedi, close lining him and bringing his metal boot down on Revan's sternum. Revan could only feel the blinding pain as his breastbone cracked under the Mandalorian's force. Mandalore panted heavily as he looked down at the fallen Jedi with smoldering eyes.

"You are finished."

Ian Kenobi turned from the viewport as he watched the last of the Republic's capitol ships sent to help them be destroyed. Casting a pained look at his Iridonian tech, Ian gave a single nod as the Ravager shuddered from the assault of the Mandalorian Basilisks.

"Any last words, Bloodraven?"

Revan felt his body convulsing violently from the strain as Mandalore twisted his armored boot deeper into his damaged body. Revan licked the blood from his lips as he forced his body to respond. Mandalore felt Revan shift and before he knew it, was on the floor. Revan's booted heel dropped onto Mandalore's throat, crushing his breathing passage. Revan struggled to his knees and grasped Mandalore's head, whispering in his ear as he snapped the Mandalorian leader's neck with his last ounce of strength.

"Watch your future's end."

A bright light suddenly filled the room, originating from Malachor V. Mandalore's last sight was of a massive shockwave consuming his fleet before he heard a distinct pop and his vision darkened.

Revan resisted the urge to vomit from the physical trauma his body had gone through. Turning to the nearest Mandalorian he snarled as he forced himself to stand.

"Get this damn collar off of me!"

The Mandalorian nodded and activated the collar's release. Revan wished briefly that he did not give the order as the death and pain of all the Jedi, Mandalorians and Republic soldiers being crushed by the Mass Shadow Device assaulted him. White and red flashes of light assaulted Revan as he doubled over, clutching the sides of his head and screaming inaudibly as the pain washed through him and the Force.

Malak staggered slightly as the death and destruction reached his mind, forcing himself to block the pain, Malak called on every ounce of strength to block the death being transmitted through the Force. Elsewhere, others were not so fortunate. Arren Kae was crushed in a single instant by Malachor V's gravity along with the thousands of Jedi, Mandalorians and Republic soldiers that reinforced them. Her ship being crushed into unrecognizable debris and her body being lost in that final battle of the Mandalorian wars. Yusanis searched frantically and to no avail for his lover throughout the survivors.

Ian Kenobi dropped into unconsciousness the instant the Ravager sent the signal to Malachor V. The pain and death in the Force was too much for the General to endure and the Force simply left him in that moment to spare his life. The Republic crews under Revan, Kenobi and Malak tried frantically to move their ships away from the shockwave that engulfed the bulk of the Mandalorian fleet and destroyed their allies. The Mandalorians retreated or surrendered, too shocked at the destruction they had seen to risk losing any more of their people. The Mandalorian wars and the Mandalorian people were destroyed in that single instant the Mass Shadow Device was activated.

The former Jedi Knight, Revan awoke two days after the battle of Malachor V on board his flagship. The former Jedi had been unconscious and under the constant care of the healers as they tried to stabilize his condition. What greeted the former Jedi's eyes was not something he would ever purge from his mind. All around him in the sickbay were dozens of former Jedi that he fought beside, all either unconscious or sickly and weak.

"What?"

Revan managed to groan as he forced himself to sit up. The bone-knitters had seemed to do an excellent job restoring his shattered arm and broken ribs and he could feel the shark pain in his shoulder that told him his arm was no longer dislocated. Seeing the chaos around him, Revan forced himself to stand and cleared his head of the painkillers, allowing the Force to purge his body of foreign substances and damage. Several hours passed before Revan trusted himself enough to travel.

Malachor V lay before him, shattered into thousands of pieces though its atmosphere remained surprisingly sustained. Revan eyed the officers on his ship as they silently stared at the mass of destroyed ships before them. Never in all his years fighting and traveling had Revan seen such destruction and he paled when he thought of the millions of bodies that lay crushed in those floating hulks.

"Force what have we done..."

Revan whispered as he felt a hand lay reassuringly on his shoulder. The former Jedi turned to see his best friend staring solemnly at the debris.

"What we had to."

Malak said softly as he turned and left Revan to see what he had already saw too much of.

"Murderer!"

Yusanis screamed as he threw a punch at Revan. Revan allowed his comrade to strike him, all too aware of the man's anger at the death of his lover. It had been a week since Revan had awoken and the fleet was still digging through the remains of the Mandalorian and Republic fleets over Malachor V.

"This is all your fault!"

The Echani General snarled as he lunged for Revan. Revan made no move to defend himself as he allowed his once trusted friend to release his anger and pain. A week of treatment had healed his already damaged body and the pain his old friend was unleashing on him was hardly comparable to that of the tortures he had endured during the war.

"Yes, it is."

Revan said quietly as the enraged and grieving Echani warrior struck him again. Revan turned his eyes to meet Yusanis' azure gaze.

"Arren was my friend you know."

Revan said in a tight tone, his anger towards his now former friend rising. A week of recovery and being accused of mass murder by the loved ones of those who had died and the tortures that had nearly broken his mind had struck something dark within the former Jedi, something he was beginning to like since it dulled the pain and hopelessness. Yusanis breathed heavily from exertion and rage as he glared at Revan.

"If I ever see you again, only one of us will leave alive!"

The respected warrior snarled as he left. Revan allowed himself to silently watch the man's retreat, promising himself the same thing. Betrayal was something that he would never abide and the pressures of the Senate and Jedi Council were weighing heavily on him. The Senate wanted him to stand trial for not informing them of the Mass Shadow Device, the Republic wanted to make him a god for saving them and the Jedi wanted to strip him of the Force and exile him. Never in all his wildest dreams did the former Jedi Knight think that saving the Republic would make him so hated.

"So be it."

He snarled, turning to see his friend, Ian Kenobi, entering his quarters.

"What is it?"

Revan snapped, eyeing his friend warily. Ian had the look of a lost child and Revan was surprised by the look of betrayal and hurt the man sent him.

"I-"

Ian began, shaking his head as he looked absently at the bulkhead.

"I can't feel the Force..."

Resisting the urge to back away from the man in horror, Revan crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the man. Part of him sympathized with the man's plight, knowing all to well from his imprisonment what it felt like to be separated from the Force.

"I cannot do anything for you, my friend..."

Revan said regretfully as he watched the devastation sink in to his friend.

"The Council..."

Revan began, wincing at his own words. The Council would likely damn him like the plague, what would they do to one who had served alongside him. Revan was not arrogant enough to assume that Ian served under him, the General had bore much of the weight of the Mandalorian wars and had saved him dozens of times already.

"The Council may know what is wrong with you... I- There is nothing I can do."

Revan whispered. Ian nodded and turned to leave.

"The Council wants us all to stand trial for the deaths of all those Jedi..."

Ian said quietly over his shoulder to Revan. Revan shook his head.

"I will never bow to them or their foolishness."

Revan snarled, surprising Ian with his anger. Much to both former Jedi's shock, Revan continued.

"They are worthless, all they do is sit in their spires waiting for a problem to solve itself or waiting to find someone they can blame all their problems on. Do you think Exar Kun's fall was his own doing? Do you think Ulic Qel-Droma's fall was his own doing? They are hypocrites and liars and they deserve no such respect. I will see them dead before I kneel before the."

Ian turned abruptly and stared at his fallen friend.

"You can't mean that, what about Bastila? What about Master Zhar? What about all those you left behind? Would you be willing to fight them as well?"

Revan looked up into Ian's eyes, his brown eyes burning with contempt though Ian did not know where it was directed.

"I am nothing but a murderer to them."

Revan hissed. Ian remained expressionless as he watched the rage play over on Revan's features. He had seen this in Malak and many of the other Jedi as well. After fighting this brutal war they had been called murderers and criminals when they did what they had to end the Mandalorian slaughter, resulting in the death of the Mandalorian people.

"When someone tells you that you are something long enough... sometimes you begin to believe it..."

Ian said thoughtfully after a long and uncomfortable silence. Revan sighed, shaking his head.

_"I am a murderer."_

The former Jedi wanted to tell his friend those words but he could not, he had fought with himself over his decisions in this war, How many of his friends had he seen die or had buried because of this war. How many had died because of decisions he had made. The weight of the war and all those deaths came crashing down onto him as his body and mind shook with guilt and anger.

"I can't change the past, Ian."

Revan muttered. Ian nodded and turned, leaving his friend to contemplate his own path.

"But I can change the future..."

Revan whispered as his chamber doors sealed. The Republic Commander wiped the blood from his mouth and stared at his armor that lay in pieces on his bed. His mind briefly wondered what had become of the red-haired girl that had saved his life but the thoughts were lost as anger and hatred filled him. The Republic had taken it upon itself to relocate any survivors of the Mandalorian's slave ranks to Nar Shadda and the girl was likely dead or enslaved on the smuggler's moon thanks to their carelessness.

Weeks had passed since the final battle over Malachor V and Revan had still not returned to the Jedi. Ian Kenobi had returned only to be stripped of his place in the Order and cast out, as Revan had predicted, like a plague. The Jedi Exile and former General chose to go beyond the Outer Rim to center himself. The Republic and the Core Worlds had long since sickened him and he had a sudden desire to be as far away from the Jedi and the Republic as possible. Revan had called all those that had survived Malachor V to follow him on a crusade beyond the Outer Rim to find and destroy the remnants of the Mandalorians as they scattered and fell into disarray. For a year, Revan, Malak and the Jedi and soldiers that followed them searched unknown space finding only a series of dead worlds, graves to some unholy crusade to end all life. Revan had felt that the Jedi were right when they spoke of an unseen threat beyond the Outer Rim but he was abhorred when he discovered the truth.

It was not the Ancient Sith or some remnants of Exar Kun or the Mandalorians that went from world to world, leaving only graves but a new, more sinister threat.

The Yuuzhan Vong as the survivors, far and few between, called them. The beings where human in appearance, though they wore a strange body armor that was resistant to blasterfire and lightsabers and mutilated themselves almost beyond recognition. The first one Revan had seen had killed an entire squad of his elite troopers and two Jedi before he was brought down by a blaster shot to the head. The creatures carried staff weapons and their technology seemed to be made from biological organisms. The Vong were ruthless and destroyed countless worlds in the unknown regions of the galaxy as sacrifices honoring their gods. Revan's fleet was destroyed in a matter of moments when it confronted a large fleet of the Vong's vessels, the Coralskippers. The asteroid-like vessels emitted a plasma-like fire that incinerated any armor within its path. The ships could also manipulate gravity, and create miniature black holes, able to crush any opposition.

"This is hopeless..."

Malak groaned as he watched from his flagship, the Leviathan. Revan had refused to allow the Yuuzhan Vong to gain a foothold anywhere near the Republic and the fact that they had lost dozens of ships while only destroying three of the Vong's strange vessels was enough to make the war-hardened soldiers want to retreat. Revan had still maintained hope, using his Interdictor ships to create gravity wells in an attempt to cancel out the Vong's superior and bizarre weaponry.

"Not if we can employ the Mass Shadow Device."

Revan muttered thoughtfully. The Vong had apparently come from a point outside the galaxy and they held only a few strongholds. Revan knew that if he used the Mass Shadow Device, they could easily capture the Vong off guard with the weapons and crush their seemingly invincible ships. The thing that worried Revan was the fact that the Vong were able to create black holes and gravity wells at will with their vessels. They would only have a few chances to catch the violent aliens off guard before they would likely adapt to the weapons. What frightened Revan was that these mysterious invaders had a beast he was all too familiar with, a Terantek.

The Vong were absent in the Force as were their creations and Revan knew that the Force would not effect them after seeing one of their warriors unaffected by a powerful wave of Force energy. The masochistic creatures seemed to have few weaknesses and that was what forced Revan to retreat. He left the Vong to their grave worlds and their outposts, hoping to rebuild his forces and find the mastermind behind the Mass Shadow Device. Only Ian Kenobi could know where that Iridonian was and Revan scoffed at the thought.

"Damn the Council."

Revan snarled. The former Jedi had since unlocked the Star Force and poured its mechanical might against the Yuuzhan Vong, stopping them in their tracks by sheer number. Revan harbored his hatred of the Jedi until it finally exploded. Leaving behind the Vong and their dominion of unknown worlds, Revan turned on the Republic, allying with the remnant Sith of Exar Kun and claiming the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith. The Mandalorian and former Jedi did not want to admit it, but the Vong scared him to death and he knew he needed the power to stop them. An empire where he drew each and every battle plan and one where he controlled the forces seemed greatly appealing to the former Jedi.

_"If I have to be a Dark Jedi or the Dark Lord of the Sith, so be it."_

Revan muttered to himself as he ordered his fleet to attack the Republic. The battle hardened Jedi and soldiers under him followed readily, disgusted as much as the Dark Lord at the weakness of the Republic.

_"Things need to change..."_

Revan reasoned.

_"The weakness needs to be purged to we can be strong and repel these invaders."_

It was not a moral issue for Revan. The Republic needed to be replaced and what took its place needed the power to respond immediately to a threat and not hide in its Senatorial apartments or spires hoping the demons of the universe would go away. There was another reason behind his motives, Revan knew. He wanted the Jedi to pay. He wanted them to change as well. The Jedi had long since adopted the stance of non-aggression and pacifism in conflict, fearing another Exar Kun.

_"I'll show them what to fear."_

Revan's mind snarled as he drew out plans to move against the Outer World planets of Belkadan, Helska, and Bastion. Malak had protested weakly of the invasion and Revan had admonished his apprentice by removing his jaw. Many began to believe that Revan had lost his mind after seeing him cut away his childhood friend's jaw. In a way, they were right.

"Fear commands loyalty. I want you to do what I say, not what you want."

Revan had roared as he left Malak's broken body lying on the deck of his vessel. Things had never been the same between the two old friends, not surprisingly. Malak had wanted to ignore the Vong and leave them be, saying that it would be years, possibly centuries before they began moving against the Outer Rim and known space. Malak had wanted to return to the Republic and ignore the problem, something Revan would not abide in his maddened state. The now Sith officers and Masters said nothing, unwilling to bring the wrath of Darth Revan upon them. The officers also knew that Revan had taken part in the few brief ground engagements with the Vong. Whatever Revan had seen had pushed him over whatever balance he held and shaped him into a ruthless and tactically frightening genius.

Seeing Malak's punishment and the lengths at which Revan would go to shape his empire drew the loyalty of his followers, if not the respect. Revan was always one to fight alongside his men and take part in the actions. As Revan's flagship drew on the Republic world of Belkadan, Revan again proved that he was not willing to ask his men to do what he did not as he took a fighter and attacked the Republic orbital station and defenses. Belkadan was taken within hours without a significant loss of life and the people were allowed to keep their own government. The Jedi responded immediately, allying with the Republic against the Sith. Revan outright laughed at the action.

"So afraid to fight, yet now when it is I you fight you rush into it... Foolish, hasty. I am not the threat, though you are right to fear me."

Revan eyes the ruined Republic positions of Belkadan and shook his head as he talked aloud to himself.

"I will break you and you will become strong. You will be worthy to live."

Revan turned and stalked away from his bridge darkly into a shadowed corridor, ignoring the apprehension his bridge crew felt at his strange behavior. They had long ago pledged loyalty to Darth Revan and the Sith and knew that Revan was not a weakling, or one to suffer fools.

"And so the Jedi Civil War begins."

Revan mused as he prowled the corridors of his vessel. All kindness and light in his life had given way to darkness and malice. All softness and joy was replaced by jagged edges and grief. The Dark Lord of the Sith seated himself in his dimly lit quarters reading the civilian casualties from his attack.

"What difference does one more life make? I am already a mass murderer to them. Why should I even care?"

Revan asked himself in his dark quarters. A brief flash of a smile and a brown-haired, blue-eyed young woman dressed in the most ridiculous outfit he had ever seen crossed his mind before it was brutally crushed by the memories of death and suffering he had seen in his years fighting.

Explanation: Who is bigger and badder than the Sith? The Yuuzhan Vong! I just thought that it would be interesting to throw that threat into the mix. Ever wonder why the Vong hate Technology or the Force so much or why there are so few? I am just throwing some speculation around here anywho. I thought they'd make a great enemy. Immune to the Force and absent from it and I always wondered about Canderous' reference in the first KOTOR about the 'asteroid' and of course how the Jedi always referred to the danger beyond the Outer Rim as a shadow and how it consumed worlds. It all seemed to fit my view of the Vong... So maybe... Contrary to popular belief I do enjoy Reviews and I'd like to know what my readers think of this story and its development. I can assure you that it will continue with the Jedi Civil war and Revan's capture and I am planning to go beyond the game but you never know... life has a way of handing you a bad hand every once in a while.


	7. Chapter 7: Choice

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warning: A little dark and graphic violence.

Chapter 7: Choice

The former Echani General and current leader of the Echani people in the Republic Senate, Yusanis sighed wearily as he walked into his Senatorial apartment. In the fourteen months since the end of the Mandalorian wars, the Senator spent most of his time caring for his daughters and seeking peaceful resolutions to war. The Mandalorian wars had changed him as they had all that fought in them. The once feared Mandalorians were reduced to refugees, forced to work as mercenaries and bounty hunters to make a living. The Jedi had lost nearly a fifth of their number and what remained behind after Revan's disappearance beyond the Outer Rim were uncertain of where their place was in the universe.

Taking a moment to linger outside his youngest daughter's room, Yusanis sighed, staring at the sleeping teenager.

_"I don't think they know what danger they are in..."_

Yusanis took a deep, calming breath. He had recently been pressing the issue of the Echani joining the Republic and Jedi's war effort against the newly emerged Sith threat. His old friend had already taken twenty systems along the rim and was moving even further, threatening to engulf the Echani and their allied worlds. Making his way to the kitchen area of his apartment, Yusanis made a cup of Jawa juice and seated himself on a chair in his common room to review the latest movements of the Sith fleet.

Yusanis awoke to a pair of glowing crimson eyes.

"What the-"

"Threat: Cease all movements or be terminated."

The rust-colored droid responded, leveling a blaster rifle on the Echani. Yusanis calmed his breathing and eyed the assassin droid as it stood motionless across from him.

"Like my new toy?"

A deep voice cut through the dark room. Yusanis' breath caught for a moment before he turned his wide eyes to the armored man standing in the dimly lit hallway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Revan..."

Yusanis breathed. Revan remained motionless, staring at the Echani.

"Do you remember your promise?"

Yusanis nodded, standing. His rise ceased as the assassin droid charged its blaster.

"HK-47 Stand down."

The droid's eyes flashed as the blaster rifle powered down.

"Now then, lets discuss this new bill before the Echani as to what actions are to be taken against the Sith Empire."

Revan started as he stared down at the Echani Senator through his mask. Within his mask, the advanced sensors woven into the crimson and obsidian mask picked up the increased heartbeat of the Echani as he looked down to the datapad he had been reading before he dozed off.

"What do you want, Revan?"

Yusanis asked in a tight tone. Revan turned his head from Yusanis and looked towards the area of the apartment his children slept in.

"I want you to pass a new bill, Yusanis."

"I can't do that!"

Yusanis snarled. Revan raised an eyebrow beneath his mask as its sensors picked up one of the Echani's children stirring.

"Do you wish for me to bring the full might of my fleet upon your people?"

Revan hissed. Yusanis glared at the Dark Lord.

"Let them come!"

Revan laughed eerily as he turned from the Echani.

"If you don't..."

Revan turned in time to see HK-47 move to restrain the enraged Echani.  
"You haven't fallen so far that you've forgotten your honor have you!"

Yusanis nearly yelled, frightened to wake his children with his rising voice. Revan laughed loudly, shaking his head.

"I give you another option... fight me, tonight. You and I. Your death will be all I need..."

Revan motioned to HK and turned to leave, stopping as he neared the doorway.

"Meet me on landing pad 34-A In the Alpha-89 docking port..."  
Revan turned and gave Yusanis a pointed look through his mask.

"Come alone and tell no one. If you do... I will go room to room in this house and kill each of your children... all but your precious Brianna. She, I will take with me."

Revan stalked towards Yusanis, glaring into his hateful blue eyes.

"And she will die very slowly if you cross me, I can assure you."

Revan turned to leave, but Yusanis' voice stopped him.

"If I fight you... will you leave them be."

Revan's shoulders dropped slightly.

"I will..."

His voice was barely a whisper, but Yusanis heard and nodded, standing and leaving the room as Revan and HK-47 vanished.

"Query: Master, why do you give the meatbag Echani a chance to escape?"

HK asked. Revan chuckled at the usage of the term 'meatbag.' Ever since hearing Malak arguing with the assassin droid and the droid referring to him as a meatbag, Revan had programmed the rust-colored droid to continue using the term when speaking to any type of organic lifeform.

"Curiosity my metal friend. I wish to see if he still holds to his honor. If not I'm sure you wouldn't mind killing about six miniature meatbags?"

HK's eyes gleamed with hope at the promise of eradicating more life.

"Request: May I kill the miniature meatbags anyways, Master?"

HK asked hopefully, or as hopeful as a droid could ask. Revan shook his head firmly.

"Only if he does not come alone."

Revan scowled towards the droid.

_"Sometimes that thing is a little too sadistic."_

Revan scoffed as he waited on the landing pad. A strong wind swept through the obscure spaceport, causing his cloak and robes to flutter. Turning, Revan saw Yusanis slowly approaching, clad in his Echani armor.  
"No one knows I am here."

Yusanis snarled as he pulled his double-bladed Echani Brand from his sling. Revan tilted his head in acknowledgment and turned to HK.

"HK prepare the ship for departure."

HK's eyes dimmed slightly in disappointment as it boarded the small transport and prepared the ship's preflight protocol.  
"You and I have a promise to keep, Yusanis."

Revan activated his crimson saber, stalking towards the Echani Senator like a feline preparing to pounce on its prey. Yusanis let out a war cry and charged Revan, striking air as the Dark Lord vaulted himself upwards. Yusanis' eyes followed the Dark Lord as he rose into the air before he spun and brought his double-bladed sword to deflect Revan's crimson blade. Revan kicked off the ground to add speed to his dodge as Yusanis skillfully slashed for the Dark Lord's form. Revan twisted away from the counterattack and spun his saber, thrusting backwards and hearing a chocked gasp from his opponent.

"Yo- You're better."

Yusanis coughed as he sank to his knees and his blade dropped from his hands. Revan made no move to acknowledge as he held his saber in the same position.

"Goodbye, my friend."

Yusanis coughed as he fell forward and his vision darkened. Revan turned and drove his saber into the man's heart swiftly to cease his pain. He eyes the wound he had made through the man's stomach and sighed as he called Yusanis' Brand to him. The Dark Lord tested the weapon for a moment before driving one of the blades into the landing platform.

"This should remain with your family..."

Within moments, the Dark Lord had vanished into his transport and the transport was shooting into orbit. Nearby a scavenger looted the famed war hero and Senator before throwing his body over the platform and watching it fall into the Coruscant undercity.

Darth Revan eyes the news holo with a vicious glare as it revealed the current affairs of the Republic.

_"And in other news, The Echani Senator, Yusanis' body was recovered from the Coruscant undercity, stripped of all valuables and killed with what appears to be a lightsaber. Reports state that a dark figure was seen fighting with the Echani Senator on a landing pad and many believe it to have been a Sith. The man leaves behind six teenage daughters who have been taken into the care of Jedi Master Atris of the Jedi Council."_

Revan continued to glare at the holo.

_"If I ever find who desecrated his body..."_

Revan clenched his fists tightly as he turned his smoldering gaze to a nearby guard.

"Prepare my fighter."

Revan snapped. The guard hastily saluted and vanished. The holo continued and the Dark Lord calmed slightly at the news.  
_"The Echani government had officially cut all ties with the Republic as their worlds have being to decay into a bloody civil war. The passing of Senator Yusanis marks the end of the shaky truce the Echani crafted to view the Sith threat."_

"At least something went as planned."

Revan snarled as he stalked to the corner of his room and activated his assassin Droid. HK-47's eyes flashed as he powered up.

"Exclamation: Master! How wonderful to see you! Is there someone you would like me to kill?"

It had been a week since Revan had returned from Coruscant and he had heard rumors of the Mandalorians attempting to regroup under a new Mandalore. Eyeing the silver armor that only the true Mandalore could wear, Revan snarled.

_"It is my right to be known as Mandalore... Only I, or someone I appoint can be called Mandalore."_

Revan turned to his assassin droid and smirked darkly.

"Yes, there are quite a few, HK."

HK's eyes gleamed in anticipation as Revan began stating off his demands.

"Lelin-Der of Serroco has been a bit troublesome... he will have to go immediately. Mimas Yoon of Corellia is also being quite the bother."

HK sealed the targets deep within his memory core, preparing for it to be erased.

"There is also the matter of the new Mandalore. Find him and kill him."

Revan stated firmly. HK acknowledged and prepared for Revan's next command.

"You did a fine job capturing those Jedi..."

Revan complimented his creation. HK's eyes again shined with pride as Revan wiped the assassin's memory core and programmed the targets. No matter how useful HK was for capturing Jedi, there were other things that Revan needed done and HK-47 was one of a kind. After he finished his programming, HK swiftly vanished form the room and boarded a transport, preparing to assassinate his new targets.

"Why don't we just kill them all?"

Malak's mechanical voice cut through the silence of the torture chambers of Korriban. Revan turned to his apprentice and former friend with a contemptuous look beneath his mask.  
"Because, fool. True power is not having your enemies lying at your feet dead and broken, but having them stand by your side, willingly."

Revan leered for a moment at the torture cells that contained nearly a dozen Jedi that had been individually captured in their newly captured territory.  
"What if they lie? What if they are not loyal?"

Malak questions. Revan turned to his shadow and smiled.

"Because I know how to break Jedi."

Malak shuddered despite himself.

"Keep your friends close..."

Revan began, causing Malak to tense. Revan elbowed Malak's ribs painfully, causing the apprentice to grunt and turn a glare to his former friend.

"And your enemies closer..."

Revan finished as he waved Malak away.

"Now leave me, I must get to know our new apprentices."

Malak turned and left quickly, casting one last glare over his shoulder. The message in Revan's words was clear and he no longer blamed his old friend.

_"One day I will return this favor."_

Malak ran his hand across his metallic jaw covering and scowled mentally. If Revan would view him as an enemy, so be it.

_"Its not like I'm your friend."_

Malak ignored the pain that settled in his stomach at those words. He had thought he had cleansed the love he held for his childhood friend through the hatred he felt at Revan's betrayal of him.

_"His lesson."_

Malak corrected mentally. The Sith Lord let out a mechanical sigh as he rubbed his aching side.

"Must have broken a rib with that blow..."

Malak said aloud, only to feel the burning hatred return and block out whatever pity or sorrow he felt when looking at Revan when a machine and not his own voice spoke. Revan had returned to the way he had been during the Mandalorian wars, distant and detached. Malak would have been concerned if he had viewed Revan as a friend, but he merely shrugged the thoughts away. The Dark Lord's mental condition was none of his concern. Revan had made it clear what his position was when he had taken Malak's jaw and called him a coward and a traitor for wanting to run from the Yuuzhan Vong.

_"And look what he is doing now, exactly what I said!"_

Malak's internal voice chanted.

_"Someday, Revan you will lie broken before me and I will be certain that my debt to you is repaid."_

Malak stalked through the corridors of the Sith academy, stopping momentarily to observe a young and powerful student strike down one of his classmates before the academy's Master.

"Excellent, Bandon."

Jorak Uln praised as he and his apprentice, Uthar Winn eyed the promising student's power hungrily. Making a note of the name, Malak continued down the corridors until he reached Dreshdae and boarded his transport.

Jedi Padawan Selene Arkesh moaned slightly as she awoke. It had been a week since she had been captured by Sith while on a mission with her Master. The Sith had seemed to appear out of nowhere and had killed her Master and knocked her unconscious. The following days had been filled with beatings and taunting. The doors to her torture chamber opened to reveal a young man. The young man smirked as he eyed the human female.

"Hello there, dear."

He called out in a sickeningly sweet tone as he stalked towards the woman and caressed her cheek. Selene felt her skin crawl at the man's touch and felt bile rising in her throat.

"I was sent to torture you... but I can think of something that may be a little more pleasurable for the both of us..."

The young man eyed her hungrily and Selene resisted the urge to scream. The sixteen year old Padawan struggled violently against her restraints as the torturer ran his hands over her.  
"Come now, its better if you don't fight it... for you anyways."

The man added with a smirk as he tore away the Padawan's tattered robes.  
"I will break you and you will bow to me and beg for whatever scraps I choose to give you in the end."

The man sneered. He had been an interrogator in what remained of the Sith Empire of Exar Kun before Revan had taken control and found that he enjoyed his work. Especially when working with female prisoners. The man held no fear of reprisals. Malak had given him free reign to use any means he deemed necessary and even though it was a crime to rape in the Sith Empire, he knew nothing would happen to him. The interrogator took a moment to eyes the Jedi Padawan hungrily. She would be broken by the time he was finished and would either not remember, or not care. The man laughed maliciously as he gave the Padawan a forceful kiss.

"Now be a good little Jedi and submit."

He hissed as he continued to tear away the girl's tattered robes. Weary from struggling and tortures, Selene screamed and was struck violently across the face.

"That's not very nice, I have very sensitive hearing you know. I was going to be easy on you..."

The torturer paused as he smirked and eyed the girl.

"But now I think I may be a little rough."

The Padawan screamed as she tried in vain to break free of her restraints. The Force-disruptor collar on her neck keeping her from calling her constant companion's aid.  
"We have laws for a reason..."

A voice thick with malice echoed through the chamber. Selene felt the torturer's painful caresses of her body cease as his body tensed.  
"We are not animals... Men... should only know the touch of one woman... and women should only know the touch of one man... That is what separates us from animals."

The armored form of Darth Revan stepped from a shadowed corridor as his masked features stared into the torturer's face.  
"L-Lord Revan... — Malak gave me permission to use any means necessary and I thought-"

"You thought that meant you could violate the oath you took to me?"

Revan snarled. The torturer leapt from his position over the teenage Padawan and stood at attention before the Dark Lord.

"No, my Lord."

Revan stood motionless as he stared at the torturer. The Jedi Padawan stared through blurry eyes at the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Continue."

Revan stated calmly. Selene let out a strangled sob as the torturer shot her a lecherous look.

"With pleasure, my Lord."

As he prepared to tear what remained of Selene's tattered robes, Revan cleared his throat. Turning to the Dark Lord with a questioning expression, the torturer froze.

"My Lord?"

Revan crossed his arms tightly across his chest and leaned against the wall.  
"This is a torture chamber is it not?"

The torturer nodded to Revan's question.

"And you are a torturer are you not?"  
Again the man nodded.  
Darth Revan uncrossed his arms and held out his left hand. With a snap, Selene's collar dropped from her neck.

"Funny... I thought you were a rapist."

Selene instantly broke free of her bonds and pinned the torturer within a second.  
"Women are so much better at administering pain than men... did you know that?"

Revan asked the torturer.

"Padawan Arkesh?"  
Revan questioned softly. The girl turned her confused eyes to the Dark Lord.

"R- Knight Revan?"

She asked his old title. Revan walked to a nearby locker and pulled out a set of obsidian Jedi robes and a matching cloak.

"Get dressed, Padawan."

The Jedi Padawan cautiously rose and quickly made her way to the locker, Relishing the feel of clean clothing though she had the urge to shower and scrub her skin till she bled. A loud thud reached her ears and she turned to see Revan pinning her torturer to the block she had resided moments before, speaking lowly to her torturer before he grasped the man's jaw tightly and squeezed. A loud pop was heard as the man struggled violently and cried out in pain.

_"I will stop when she asks me to."_

Revan had whispered to the man before he unleashed his unholy knowledge of tortures against the man. Selene heard Revan snarl to the man, something along the lines of.

_"If you wish to be an animal, I will slaughter you like one."_

The Jedi Padawan watched with morbid fascination as Revan pulled the torturer apart piece by piece, surprised that the man still lived after several hours. The entire time she remained silent, watching the horrific display of savage dismemberment until Revan stopped and turned to her. Two blue eyes wide with fear stared back at him and Revan slowly nodded his head as he turned back and removed another piece of the torturer. The man's convulsions did not cease, but the pained cries he made did. Moments later the convulsions died down to a sudden jerk before they became nothing. Selene knew the man had never lost consciousness until that final moment that Darth Revan had snatched the life from him. She did not know why she did not try to stop him, but looking at the mangled body she felt no sympathy for the beast.

Darth Revan flicked his bloodied gloves for a moment to clear them of some of the mess before he turned to the Jedi Padawan.  
"I do not wish to break you... I wish to convert you..."

He said with a sickening calm to Selene. After seeing him tear the man who was preparing to rape her to shreds and then to hear him directly address her, Selene was in near hysterics.

"So I can be like you?"

She cried as she felt helpless. Revan tilted his head slightly as he looked into her blue eyes that reminded him so much of another young woman he knew.

"I just murdered that man... Violently. What difference does that make? I am already called a mass murderer but tell me this... What difference does this man's death make?"

Selene crushed her wish to fall to her knees and cry as she looked into Revan's masked features and eyed the blood that seemed to be splattered across his armor.

"He can't hurt me... or anyone else again..."

Revan nodded.

"Good, you're learning."

Revan walked to the doorway and stopped for a moment.

"The Jedi and the Republic would have allowed that man to live... throwing him into exile for his crimes or locking him away for only a year or two... Does that fit your view of justice?"

Selene found herself shaking her head. She turned her eyes to the Dark Lord as he turned to her.  
"I have the power now to end such things... Do you want that power?"

Selene's eyes widened slightly. He was asking her to join him, willingly.

"I- That is the Darkside..."

Revan calmly pulled back his hood and removed his mask, causing the girl to gasp. She had seen Malak once, as well as the other Sith Masters that were disfigured by the Darkside and what she saw when she looked at Revan was not what she had expected. His skin was pale, likely from being hidden from all light within his armor and his face drawn and tired, but still handsome and somewhat young. His eyes where a deep brown, though red seemed to cloud them, giving him the look of utter exhaustion.

"Do I look like I bathe in the darkness?"

Revan asked in his deep voice. Selene stared at the Dark Lord for a moment before turning away and wrapping her arms across her chest.

"– No."

She whispered.

"That is where you are wrong."

Revan's voice said calmly, but with hidden malice. Selene turned to see a vicious scowl adorning Revan's handsome features.

"I am a mass murderer and one of the most evil men you will ever meet... But I still believe in honor and that is why I spared you that... thing's touch."

Revan motioned to the pile of body parts and blood that lay motionless in the room.  
"I am fighting a war, Padawan. One I will do anything... almost anything to win."

Revan sighed as he stared at the girl.

"I have a friend... Bastila Shan. I want you to tell her that I am beyond hope. I want you to tell her that I have fallen."

Selene gasped. She had met the arrogant Padawan a few times during her stay at the Jedi Temple but was far from her friend.  
"Wha- Why do you want me to do that?"

She asked. Revan's face took on the weary look once more as he looked away from the young girl.

"Because I don't want her to be foolish and believe she can save me... or capture me. You have witnessed what I am capable of and my only other offer is your immediate death."

Revan took a threatening step towards Selene. The Padawan instinctively backed away.

"I want her to hide in some hole with the rest of the Jedi to spare me the trouble of having to eliminate her."

Revan did not voice his desire to not see her fall. He had been tortured for weeks by dreams of Bastila falling in battle against his forces or of her being captured and tortured by the likes of Malak and the man he had killed a short while ago.

"I-"

Revan took another threatening step towards the young girl.

"Do you want to die?"  
Selene shook her head.

"Do you want me to do to you what I did to that man over there?"

Revan motioned to the torture slab. Selene again shook her head furiously.

"Then what is your answer?"

Selene stared with wide eyes at the Dark Lord.

"I will tell the Council... and Padawan Shan what I have witnessed here, today."

The Dark Lord was silent for a moment before he nodded and pulled his hood over his head, replacing his mask.

"Good..."

He said, apparently satisfied. The Dark Lord reached into his armor and produced a small datapad.  
"These are directions out of this facility and this..."  
Revan pulled a lightsaber from his cloak and tossed it to the Padawan along with the Datapad.

"Completes your disguise."  
Selene took that moment to eye her attire, gasping to herself when she realized she looked exactly like a Dark Jedi.

"Your ship is waiting."

Revan said quietly as he bowed mockingly to the terrified Padawan and vanished darkly into the shadowed corridor. Selene gulped as she attached the lightsaber to her belt. Making her war through the Sith complex, she quickly found the ship set aside for her and left Korriban behind her. The Jedi Padawan did not take the time to relax until she had reached hyperspace.

"Why would he want Bastila Shan to think he is evil? From what I've heard she hates him more than he hates the Jedi..."

Selene sighed as she tried to keep her minds from her imprisonment and her Master's death.

"I will do as he asked..."

There's Chapter 7, I'd like to thank all of you for your reviews and I hope nobody has a problem with my evil Revan. I'm trying as best as I can to make him how the games made him out to be. Evil and calculating but not totally evil... yes I don't know. I'd love to hear back on this chapter and I hope you all liked it...


	8. Chapter 8: In the Wake of Hatred

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 8: In the Wake of Hatred

"What significance is Telos?"

Malak questioned as he followed Revan swiftly down the corridors of the Leviathan. Revan turned to his Apprentice and smiled coldly beneath his mask.

"They are to be made an example, Malak."  
Malak seemed taken aback for a moment before his eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean, an example, Revan?"

Revan resisted the urge to sigh as he spoke in a business-like tone.

"The Telosians have been far to giving in the Republic's military. They have proven to be a nuisance and one that I will no longer tolerate."  
Malak took in the information calmly.  
"Do you want me to destroy them?"  
Malak asked. Revan laughed.

"No..."

He replied after having his fill.

"The Telosians have vast resources and manpower... They would make an excellent addition to my Empire."

Malak seemed troubled for a moment.

"Oh I'm sure you can find an excuse to kill someone, my bloodthirsty apprentice."

Malak seemed offended for a moment before his eyes smiled towards his Master.

"You have a plan?"

Malak said in certainty. Revan nodded his head as he eyed his surroundings.

"A Republic officer... I believe you know him. Admiral Saul Karath. Has asked how he can show his support to the Sith Empire. I want to you secure Telos' resources and I want you to make certain his priorities are in check."

Malak nodded, pondering how he would force the Republic officer to prove his loyalty.

"Does it really matter if I reduce the entire planet to ashes?"

Malak's mechanical voice asked eagerly. Revan felt his lip curl into a sneer.

"Do what you see fit, Malak."

Malak's mechanical laughter answered the Dark Lord.

"Be mindful, Malak. I would prefer to have the resources of Telos at my disposal but I will accept whatever you deem necessary. The Star Forge is more then capable of providing us our immediate needs."

Malak gave Revan and incredulous look. To him the Star Forge was all they needed. The Galaxy could burn for all be cared. It was always so much more enjoyable and simpler to annihilate his enemies totally than try to convert them like Revan. He has seen his master waste hours of precious time that could be spent killing Jedi trying to convert them. Through the horrors and pains he forced upon them, they had fallen and willingly followed his Master. It still confused Malak how they could be so completely loyal to Revan after torturing them for so long, but he asked himself why he still followed Revan.

_"Power."  
_He knew that Revan held more power than him, more power than he could imagine. A painful stab in his abdomen brought him from his thoughts. Malak turned his eyes to see Revan's fist clenched against him as pain shot through him.

"Get the hell out of my sight. I do not need a worthless meatbag that spends his time fantasizing. Get me those resources."

Malak could feel Revan's penetrating glare though the mask and nodded his head, making his way to the bridge of the Leviathan. Revan eyed his apprentice warily. Malak had long since taken to bloodlust and seemed to revel in the feelings of mass destruction and death. If his apprentice could not see the larger issues beyond a simple victory in battle, he needed to be removed. Honor would only go so far and he knew that Malak was on the brink of insanity.

"Lord Revan."

Revan turned, raising an eyebrow to the approaching Dark Jedi. The Sith shifted nervously for a moment under the cold gaze before Revan's head tilted slightly in acknowledgment."We have... captured a new specimen."

The Dark Jedi stated emotionlessly. Revan chuckled, unnerving the Dark Jedi.

"Show me to our guest then."

Revan was led to the Leviathan's landing bay where he boarded a transport, returning to his own flagship. To Revan's surprise he spotted a young Jedi Padawan being led towards him in binders.

"Padawan Arkesh..."

The Padawan gave Revan a slight nod, surprised when he struck her painfully across her face. It had been a month since Revan had allowed the Jedi Padawan to escape and he was certain his message had gotten through.

"Take her to the 'guest' rooms."

Revan hissed. Selene's eyed widened as she was dragged away and into the all to familiar torture cells. Hours later found her in Darth Revan's presence.

"Why are you here?"

Revan asked calmly. Selene pulled angrily against her restraints.

"I did what you asked, I can't go back to the Jedi now."

Revan raised an eyebrow beneath his mask.

"Oh?"

The girl seemed to be pleading to him with her wide blue eyes and Revan found himself curious to the questions lying beneath.

"They said that what I told them about you was a lie and that you had no honor."  
Revan tensed slightly at the poorly veiled respect he heard in that statement.

"They wanted me to see a mind healer... They kept asking me questions, again and again about my Master and-"

The girl's breath seemed to catch at the mention of her deceased Master. Revan stalked towards the girl, eyeing her.

"What do you want, Selene?"

Revan asked, startling the Padawan by using her first name.

"I want to follow you... I want that power you spoke of..."

Revan gave the Jedi Padawan a calculating look.

"I will ask many things of you..."

Revan whispered. Selene merely stared back at his in defiance. Revan chuckled darkly.

"I want you to beg."

The Dark Lord hissed. Selene's brow furrowed in confusion, unable to track the movements of Revan's hands as he pulled a small vibroshiv.

"Rev- Ahhhh!"

Her words was cut off by a scream of pain as Revan dug the small cutting tool into her painfully.

"You want to learn that power?"  
Revan snarled as he continued to cut away at the Jedi Padawan. Her screams beginning to rack with sobs as her small frame shivered and convulsed. Then as suddenly as the pain was there, it vanished. Revan brought his masked visage inches from Selene's face and waited as her blue eyes fluttered open. The eyes were filled with confusion and hurt as Revan laughed maliciously.  
"I warned you and the other Jedi to go hide in a hole until I was finished."  
Revan snarled.

"Now I will not let you go until you are dead, or mine!"

"Please! –"

Revan placed his gloved hand over her mouth.

"Shhh..."

Revan chided. Removing his hand, Revan was pleased to hear only the girl's ragged breathing.

"I am no fool, Selene. Why did they send you?"

Revan questioned as he wiped the blood from the vibroshiv and glanced at the girl. Her once confident eyes had filled with terror and betrayal.

"Not answering?"

Revan shook his head mournfully.  
"You will..."

He promised as he allowed his hand and the torture implement to hover over the girl's bloodied Padawan robes. Selene gasped as the blade dug into her flesh once more.

"You will beg me to listen."

The next few hours where nothing but pain for Selene. As Revan had predicted, she begged and pleaded with him to stop. The unshakable Jedi resolve being shattered under his torturous hands.

"Spy..."

Selene gasped through the pain. She had already confessed things to Revan that she would never tell another soul. Part of her felt peace at ridding herself of the lies and frivolities of her short life but another was mortified that this man, who she had felt the smallest respect for, had shattered her image of an honorable Lord and held her deepest secrets. Her fears, her dreams and her very life were all in his hands. Revan's painful ministrations ceased instantly as she heard the vibroshiv being placed on a nearby table.

"Tell me something I don't know."

Revan said in an amused tone that made Selene sick to her stomach.

_"Is he actually enjoying this?"_

Revan quickly grasped the stray thought and smiled.

"I am so enjoying our time together, Selene. But I do have other matters to attend to."

Revan eyed the bloodied teenager for a moment before shaking his head.

"Tomorrow, we will continue our discussion."

The Dark Lord stalked from the room and Selene released a breath she did not realize she had been holding when she heard the mechanical locking of the door.

Darth Revan coughed violently as he leaned over the refresher, releasing the last of the sickness that clenched his stomach. His hatred of the Jedi had multiplied substantially after hearing the words leave her mouth that she was sent to spy on him.

_"A sixteen year old Padawan. A little girl sent to spy on the Dark Lord of the Sith. Oh how far the Jedi have fallen."_

Revan turned his eyes to his mirror and sneered as his hatred rose. Utter disgust had filled him. Not at his own actions, but at what the Jedi had done. Some small part of him had never accepted that they were the careless and emotionless robots he had accused them of being. That minuscule part had died as she whispered his suspicions. He did not regret the pain he had caused Selene. It was a lesson to her. She would either hate him, or the Jedi for what had happened and that hatred would release the power she had asked him, begged him for. He had given her what she wanted. Revan leaned over the refresher once more, fighting to swallow the rising bile as he closed his eyes tightly.

Hours passed and Selene groaned in pain and apprehension as Darth Revan returned to her cell.  
"Where were we?"

Revan asked lightly as he leered over the Padawan.

"Ah yes, you were about to tell me how you planned to spy on me..."

Selene resisted the urge to cry as Revan lifted the vibroshiv and stood over her. Her blue eyes took in the dried blood of the small knife that she knew was her own and she looked pleadingly into Revan's mask.

"Bastila!"  
She screamed. The sudden jerk in Revan's stance told her she had hit a nerve. She began telling him the indignant rage Bastila had when she had delivered her message and how the Padawan insisted she held no feelings for Revan. She told him how Bastila's once dull and tired blue eyes has shined with anger as she spoke of Revan's deeds. Glad that he still wore his mask, Revan leaned back against the wall for support to the emotions that threatened to cripple him.

"She hates me then..."

Revan whispered to Selene. The Padawan nodded eagerly.

"That is what you wanted... isn't it?"

Selene asked, curious as to the strange stance Revan had assumed.

"Yes..."

Revan hissed angrily. There was deafening silence between the two until Selene finally spoke.

"Is it?"

She asked bravely. Revan looked as if he would explode with rage but to both their surprise he threw the vibroshiv to the floor. The Dark Lord lingered for a moment, staring at the girl.

"Are you a Jedi or a Sith?"

Revan asked finally. Selene stiffened. She knew that her answer would seal her death or her damnation. Taking a moment to collect herself, she stared at the Dark Lord with something resembling pity as she whispered to him.

"I am a Jedi."

She did not see the frown under Revan's mask as he turned from her.

"Then I can do nothing for you, foolish girl."

Revan stalked into the dormitory of the Sith interrogators on his flagship with a sneer on his face.

_"It doesn't matter what happens to her!"_

He snarled to himself as he eyed the Sith soldiers that stood stiffly at attention before him.

"I have a young Jedi girl that needs some sense knocked into her..."

Revan began. Seeing the smirks on most of the faces, Revan sighed. He had grown tired of dismembering his best torturers.

"You."

Revan pointed to the only man who wore a scowl on his face. The brown haired man's scowl was prominent as he heard the term Jedi and Revan could feel the hatred the man held of the guardians of peace and justice radiating from him in thick waves.  
"Cell 5-D."

Revan responded. The young man nodded, saluting Revan. Revan cocked his head slightly as the man gathered some things and left the room. He could feel beyond the man's anger the bright burning of the Force. Whatever had spurred the man's hatred must have been spectacular.

"Who is that man?"

Revan asked one of the commanders. The commander stared at the Dark Lord in fright as he spoke.  
"Atton Rand... one of our best..."

Revan nodded his head slowly.

"Atton... I've heard of him. Wasn't he the one that captured that Bothan Jedi Master on Almania?"

The commander paled at Revan's knowledge of the low level soldier.

"Y- yes."

Revan nodded.

"He's powerful in the Force... I want to speak with him when I return from Telos... We are in desperate need of new students."

Again the commander's face was ashened. Revan smirked.

"Friend of yours?"

Revan asked offhandedly. The commander nodded.

"Good, then you would like to see him ascend in rank."

Revan said calmly as he left the uneasy commander be. The commander immediately sighed in relief.

_"I gotta tell Atton to get the hell out of here. If Revan's taken an interest in him..."_

The commander shuddered at the thought of seeing his comrade being tortured and twisted into a Dark Jedi. Resolving himself, the commander went about his duties, waiting to warn his friend of the Sith's plans for him.

Revan stared indifferently at the smoke-filled atmosphere of what had once been Telos.

"Malak has certainly been busy..."

The Dark Lord muttered dryly as he shook his head. Deciding that training would be the best form of meditation, Revan settled into a private training room and pulled an ancient holocron from his cloak. Taking a moment to look over the holocron reverently, Revan depressed the switch to see the barely distinguishable image of an ancient Sith Lord. Having spent weeks secretly studying the holocron of Tulak Hord, the Dark Lords already remarkable skill with the lightsaber had improved a hundred times over. The technique of the ancient saber master was strange to the Dark Lord and defied all he had learned of lightsaber combat from the Jedi. It felt strangely natural to infuse himself with the Force and follow the odd techniques of the ancient Sith Lord. Launching himself into a deadly kata, Revan strove to perfect the art that had he had long ago mastered.

Two weeks passed before Revan's curiosity got the better of him and he returned to the cell he had left Selene Arkesh. Telos had been a disaster. Most of the Telosian Security Force had been absent when Saul Karath had launched his assault alongside Malak on the world and all that was gained was another martyred world for the Republic to gain support. Malak had escaped unscathed of Revan's wrath along with all those who had been involved. The Dark Lord knew that in time, war would weed out those who lacked the resolve to do what had to be done.

As Revan entered the dimly lit torture chamber he paused, eyeing the mangled corpse that lay strapped to the torture slab. Sighing, Revan shook his head as he walked towards Padawan Arkesh's corpse.

"Too stubborn..."  
Revan sighed. The Dark Lord cocked an eyebrow as he caught sight of the angry bruises that ravaged the girl's neck. The dark blue and purple contrast against her dead pale skin and Revan knew she had been dead for only a few hours.

"Perhaps you did not know when to be silent..."

Revan ran his hand across the girl's face, closing her now lifeless gray eyes.

"Another casualty of the Jedi's failure."

Revan snarled as he tore the restraints that held the girl's body and lifted her corpse in his arms. For some reason beyond his control, all Revan could see when he looked into her lifeless face was Bastila, and the thought drove him to his breaking point as he carried the girl's body to a transport and burned her remains on the planet below. Revan watched the ashes rise from the pyre as he spoke softly.

"She would be eighteen now... Only two years older than you..."

Revan knew he was not an elder at his twenty four years, but what he had seen had seemed to age him by decades. His youthful and fit body was weary and pained. Nearly all his actions caused a pain to clench his body or mind and he dropped to his knees as he stared at the burning fire.

"This is what has to be done..."

Atton had vanished, fleeing from either punishment for killing the girl or from what fate awaited him in the ranks of the Sith Knights, Revan did not know nor care. The man had taught him a valuable lesson and one he would not soon forget.

_"Even if I am ready to kill... Can I?"_

It had never been a question for him during the Mandalorian wars. He simply weighed the pros and cons of a battle and made the most efficient and tactical decision while the soldiers died. He would fight alongside them in the thick of battle, but countless thousands he had fought beside lay rotting on those worlds or were blasted to ashes while he continued his war across the galaxy. But now he was killing children. That was what the Jedi seemed to be throwing at him or what they were sending to spy on him.

"This is ridiculous, of course I can."

Revan resolved as he stood, watching the pyre die. The Dark Lord knew that a confrontation was coming with the Jedi. The first few months of the war had been mainly been a constant stream of victories against weakly defended worlds or poorly structured Republic fleets. The Dark Lord never considered the Republic to be the real threat. His eyes stared at the ashes within the pyre.

"The Jedi are the enemy..."

For weeks his spies and agents had reported to him that the Republic and Jedi had been working together to unleash some type of weapon. What the weapon's nature was was unknown to Revan or his agents and the Dark Lord continued to make preparations. Casting one last look at the smoldering cinders of the funeral pyre, Revan sneered.

"Let the Jedi send their children to me... Let them see what I am capable of..."


	9. Chapter 9: Losses

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 9: Losses

Four months of fighting had torn the Jedi Order apart. Of forty thousand Jedi at the end of the Mandalorian wars, only half that remained in the Jedi Order. Thousands abandoned the Order for the teachings of Darth Revan and the Sith while others fell in battle or fled. The Jedi Civil War was falling into a retreat. The Jedi could not even call what their situation was a standoff. Wherever Revan attacked, worlds fell. Wherever Revan was, Jedi died. Whenever Revan spoke, Jedi betrayed. The Dark Lord of the Sith wielded a power more dangerous than the Star Forge or the assassin armies of the Trayus Academy. Revan held the power to make those who followed him believe.

The Corellian system was a rich trading world that had managed to survive the Mandalorian wars unscathed. It was also one of the first Revan targeted. The battle was not going well for the Sith. With twice the number of the Corellian Defense Corps, the Sith were baffled by how many men they were losing. So many that Revan had taken from fighting in the thick of battle in his fighter to returning to his flagship. On the bridge of his dreadnaught, Revan cursed as he watched a holo of the battle. The Dark Lord had spent hours devising a plan that would allow them to take Corellia quickly and with as little damage possible to the planet. So far they had not even breached the sixth planet of the Corellian system. The Republic and Corellian forces seemed to counter every attack and exploit every weakness in his strategy. That was the problem, there were no weaknesses in his plan. Revan cursed as another line of his fighters collapsed into chaos and were torn apart by the surprisingly well organized Republic and Corellian forces.

"Send Alpha wing to support Gamma, I want Commander Caine to bring his Interdictor cruisers in the breach at coordinates 9.89 mark 2.4."

Revan eyed the battle warily as he spoke into the open comm channel. His split second adjustments played out, sealing the breach that came at the loss of Gamma squadron.

"How are they doing this?"

Revan spoke in quiet awe as the reinforcements suddenly scattered and were destroyed.

"Can you get me a hack into the Republic's comm frequency?"

Revan asked a nearby technician. The Sith tech nodded and quickly made his way to a communications console. Revan continued making adjustments to his battle plan, sighing in relief when he found a breach in the Republic lines and then scowling when the breach instantly filled.

"No one is that organized..."

Revan snarled as he quickly picked up a datapad and made his predictions of the battle.

"I want to pull Beta and Omega squadrons form the fighting and use them to defend the heavy cruisers. In fact I want all fighters to break up and fire at will."

"My Lord?"

A commander questioned over the comm line.

"It may drastically minimize the effect our fighters have on their ships but it will also prevent heavy losses if the fighter squadrons break apart. No groups larger than five do I make myself clear?"

Revan stated firmly into the frequency. The Commander acknowledged and Revan waited for several moments as his fighters broke apart and swarmed the Republic lines. The lack of structure in his fighter's attacks and the random vectors the fighters choose to attack from made a noticeable difference as the Republic began taking heavy fighter losses.

_"Thank the Force we have good pilots..."_

Revan sighed in his mind. The Sith Capitol ships quickly took advantage of the chaos in the Republic lines, tearing away the Republic fighters with their turboblasters and firing their blaster cannons against the Republic capitol ships. Revan suddenly shouted into the comm line to pull back the Capitol ships as the chaos in the Republic lines suddenly shifted to what he recognized as an offensive strategy. Caught off guard, the Sith Capitol ships found themselves surrounded by their breach in the Republic lines. The chaos surrounding them suddenly became a well organized and one sided bombardment as the Republic and Corellian ships fired on them from all sides.

"Pull back, all forces pull back!"

Revan shouted into the open comm lines. Falling back to the outer edge of the Corellian system, the Sith fleet awaited reinforcements as their fighters fought desperately to hold the impossibly well organized Republic forces at bay.

"Lord Revan we have breached the Republic secure channel."

A Sith Tech said proudly to Revan. The Dark Lord nodded his appreciation to the Tech as he approached the console and scanned through the hundreds of signals from Republic and Corellian forces.

"The Jedi's plan worked, I can't believe it!"

A young woman's voice spoke in awe. Revan locked onto the channel and waited for the response, his blood boiling.

_"The Jedi's plan?"_

A round of laughs were heard over the consol as Revan listened.

"Yea I guess that Battle Meditation girl wasn't all talk."

An arrogant voice announced.

"Look sharp Red 5 the Sith fighters are still attacking and we don't know how long Bastila can keep up that Battle Meditation."

A snort was heard from the end of the line as Revan roared in rage.

"Battle Meditation!"

Switching to an open hail, Revan spoke to his fleet.

"We're going back in, to hell with the rest of the fleet we still outnumber the Corellians and the Republic forces."

The comms were dead silent as Revan eyed the Republic fleet's position on his holo.

"I want all Capitol ships to break into groups of three and I want all fighters to use swarm tactics. Attack as randomly as possible, the Jedi are up to a new trick out there and we can't let them see our plans."

Revan quickly drew out what vectors he wanted his scattered fleet to attack from and sent it through a secure comm line to each commander.

"As soon as our reinforcements arrive I want you all to break from your random attacks and into this formation as the reinforcements will take this position."

Revan sent another drawn out design and listened to his commanders as they agreed readily, liking his strategy. The next hour was almost a stalemate. For every Republic and Corellian fighter lost a Sith one would turn to debris and for every Sith Capitol ship lost a Republic one would fall. Revan even took his own flagship into the fighting and was pleased to see chaos descending into the Republic's lines. He knew the Corellians would fight to the last man but the Republic's loyalties were easily swayed. Slowly gaining the upper hand, Revan prepared to call in his reserve forces when the unimaginable happened. A fleet of Republic Interdictor ships suddenly dropped from hyperspace and attacked the reserve fleet.

"What!"

Revan roared as his reinforcements were torn apart within an hour. Snarling in rage, Revan opened a comm line to all ships.

"This isn't over."

Revan then gave the order to retreat as his battered and much smaller fleet returned to the safety of Sith space.

One year of a brutal stalemate followed. Many in the Sith blamed Revan for the sudden lack of victories though in truth most of the battles Revan took place in personally were victories. The Deep Core and the Mid Rim remained in the hands of the Republic while the Sith held dominance over the Outer Rim and only a few parts of the Mid Rim. Hearing that the Jedi had begun using Bastila and her Battle Meditation filled the Dark Lord of the Sith with more dread than even the Yuuzhan Vong had. Revan knew now that it was only a matter of time before he was forced into a confrontation with the headstrong Padawan. Why he had no wish to see her join him or see her dead confused him. This internal conflict did not go unnoticed to those who would exploit what they saw as a weakness, Revan's only weakness. Malak was the first to spread rumors that Revan feared Bastila and her Battle Meditation.

_"Not a total lie..."_

Malak smiled to himself as he spoke in a private meeting with a dozen Sith Masters and Admiral Saul Karath.

"Revan has shown time and time again that he does not have the power to lead us any longer..."

Malak began in a cold mechanical drone. Murmurs were heard through the gathered Sith until one finally spoke.

"Lord Revan has led us to countless victories against the Mandalorians and the Republic-"

"What about the Vong?"

Another cut off. The Sith fell into silence.

"But there is no beating them... Revan even managed to kill a few dozen of them on that planet he was trapped on... How many others can make that claim?"

There was silence. They all knew that Revan had taken on nearly twenty Yuuzhan Vong alone and had survived with only a few broken bones and cuts while whole squadrons of soldiers had fallen to only a few. The strange aliens seemed to be skilled and unstoppable on all levels of combat.

"We all know that Revan is a skilled warrior... but he does not have the resolve to seek out this threat. Have none of you noticed that he has specifically spoken against using assassins to track down Bastila Shan?"

Saul Karath spoke. Malak smiled to himself as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

"Revan lacks the resolve to end this particular threat."

More murmurs were heard as the Sith continued to speak to each other.

"Bastila Shan is just a child, she can be turned and Revan knows that."

"Yet he hasn't made an effort to capture her... one would think he is... allowing her to continue this."

Another Sith Master cut off the one who had spoken before. The Sith Masters seemed to nod their heads in agreement.

"There is still the matter of Darth Traya on Malachor. With the army of assassins she wields she could easily eliminate each of us here..."

Malak laughed suddenly, causing all the heads in the room to turn to him.

"Her apprentice, Darth Sion holds no loyalty to the witch. With the help of any one of us, he could easily take control and he has sworn to end Traya."

The Sith Lords muttered to themselves as they weighted their options.

"Follow Revan into death or follow me into victory. I assure you that I will end the threat of this Battle Meditation... I may even add it to our own ranks. We all know that after following him for a year, Revan has no wish to see this weapon in our hands."

A gasp came from the Sith Lords.  
"Do you think Revan is sabotaging us? We are not the same people we were when Revan promised us the Republic... He may be deliberately sabotaging our forces..."

"Revan would never do that, he knows we need to be strong to fight the Vong and whatever other horrors await us beyond the Outer Rim."

Malak nodded his head to that as did all the other Sith Lords though Malak chuckled as he did.

"I'm sure Revan would not mind adding Bastila's Battle Meditation to our ranks then. He has exploited every other option but that... Why has he not sought her out?"

Malak nodded subtly to Saul Karath.

"There were rumors that he was once good 'friends' with Bastila during the Mandalorian wars."

Malak contained his laughter, knowing full well that Revan could not stomach fighting Bastila. Bastila Shan was a weakness to Revan. He avoided her like she was his own death and Malak reasoned that she likely was.

"There is something we can do..."

Malak spoke thoughtfully through his mechanical filter.

"The Jedi are planning to capture Revan and they want to use Bastila to capture him..."

All eyes were now on Malak.

"Are you saying that she is Revan's weakness?"

Malak would have smirked if he could.

"I am saying Revan is afraid of her."

The Sith that had spoke, nodded. Smiling coldly.  
"If we were to place Revan in a position where he could be captured... we could draw out Bastila and the Jedi to use their plan and then-"

"Then we can destroy two threats to our power with one swift blow."

Malak finished, causing the one he had cut off to smile and nod.

"We are with you, Lord Malak."

Malak resisted the urge to laugh in his own triumph. He would finally get his revenge on Revan for what he had done to him and he would gain control of the Sith. With the Star Forge and having the reputation of destroying Revan, none would challenge him.

"Revan is leading our Forces through unknown space to assess the Vong threat. He will be gone for many months. When he returns I will handle how we contact the Jedi, then we can destroy Revan."

There were nods of appreciation until one of the Masters finally spoke.

"What of Darth Traya? She is fanatically loyal to Revan and will avenge him..."

Malak's eyes flashed as he smiled internally.

"I have sent Lord Nihilus to aid Lord Sion in that task. By the time Revan returns all his followers will be dealt with."

Malak's mechanical laughter filled the room, joined by the other Sith's as they swore their oath to remove the threat to their power that was Darth Revan.

Darth Revan was gone for longer than they had thought. Nearly three years into the Jedi Civil War, Revan returned to relieve Malak of his control. Whatever fool idea had led Revan to leave Malak in command was beyond him but he knew Malak would keep the Sith strong. The Vong had been brutal and Revan returned weary of battle. Sickened to his core, Revan stared into his reflection as his flagship was slowly being repaired from the damage a year and a half of fighting the Yuuzhan Vong had done to it. Revan took in his pale skin and his golden eyes. His hair was no longer the light brown it had once been, it now was nearly black. Around the gold, Revan saw the blood that filled his eyes and blinked.

"When the hell did this happen?"

He whispered as he ran his hand over his cold skin. He had made certain that Kreia knew not to attack Bastila. Being the loyal Sith she was, Kreia had agreed to make certain no one touched Revan's 'prize' as she called her. Revan allowed a cold rage to settle into his soul. He had killed many Vong with the massive fleet he had built from the Star Forge. It was really the only reason Bastila's Battle Meditation was holding the Sith at bay. Most of their fleet was beyond known space fighting the brutal alien invaders.

In that year and a half, Revan learned and mastered the Dark Side of the Force. He took no pleasure in anything. Unable to feel the deaths of the countless Vong he and his droid armies had wiped out, Revan had found himself oddly detached from the fighting. He could feel distantly the deaths of the worlds Malak attacked in his absence. Deaths that fell on his shoulders and he found himself filling with hatred.

"I will kill Malak as soon as the coming battle is finished..."

Revan had heard Malak was taking an interest in training an apprentice. He had also heard from several spies that he had spoken with a young man, Bandon and had offered to train him.

"Malak will only spread his incompetence..."

Revan hissed as he eyed his appearance. It was not so different from what it had been in the Mandalorian wars. Running a hand through his hair, Revan frowned as it fell out and into his hand.

"What the-"

Running water through his hair, Revan was disturbed to find that his hair had simply fell away. This had been the first time in a week he had been able to clean himself and take off his armor.

"I think I'm dying."

Revan joked as he eyed his features. Staring at him were two dark brown eyes. The Dark Lord shuddered as he ran a hand through his now light brown hair. Whatever he had caught a glimpse of was something he saw in Malak and the other Sith Lords. He assumed it was a strange bloodlust that resulted in the Dark Side. Whether wanting the blood of the Vong or the Jedi, Revan did not know and did not want to know as he splashed water on his face and resigned himself to train in his quarters, marking off what he saw as a hallucination from lack of sleep.

Bastila Shan bowed deeply to the Council as she stood and made her way to her quarters on Dantooine. The Jedi had chosen to hide her there after splitting the Council between several Enclaves. The threat of Malak and the Sith had grown with the disappearance of Revan. Many rumors ran that Revan had been killed and Bastila fought the dread she now felt at the news that Revan was alive and well. Malak was nowhere near as competent as Revan and whatever iron grip Revan held on the Sith a year and a half ago had vanished.

Gathering her things quickly, Bastila boarded a transport en route to the Republic vessel, Sojourn. Revan's flagship was being repaired after suffering heavy damage in what her mind could only see as some unholy campaign of destruction in unknown space that mirrored Malak's wave of devastation on the Republic. Her Battle Meditation had made a difference, but with Revan's return, the Council believed that the Sith would likely strike with the full force of their power. It was also apparent that Revan had taken a majority of his forces when Republic scouts reported that the already massive Sith Fleet nearly tripled in size at Revan's return, though many of the ships that returned were severely damaged and lacking crews. It would not surprise Bastila if Revan controlled all unknown sectors of the galaxy and the last bastion of strength was the Republic.

Shivering slightly, Bastila sat silently in her room, resolving to herself that the coming confrontation would not end in her death. The Council had sent her and two dozen Jedi Knights to find and capture Revan. It was the perfect opportunity. Spies in the Sith ranks reported that Revan's flagship was defenseless aside from the small fleet that surrounded it and that Revan was overseeing its repairs. Bastila felt the familiar anger in her at the thought of seeing a man she had not laid eyes on for four years. The last time she had seen him she was sixteen.

"He'd be twenty six now..."

Bastila robbed her tired eyes and frowned as the thought crossed her mind. He was not the same man she had been friends with, he was a monster.

"I should have seen it..."

No matter how many times she tried to picture Revan as the heartless and disfigured monster that Malak had become, she could only see that tired young man she had loved who tried with all he had to make things better.

"How did this happen?"

Bastila cried out in frustration as her meditations were again interrupted by the image of Revan's warm smile. Growling to herself, Bastila slammed her hand on the floor, wincing at the pain that shot through it, though it was nothing compared to the sharp ache that had settled in her chest for the past four years.

"Why did you betray us?"

The Padawan's whisper echoed in the silent room as she fought to see that same caring man as the monster he was. Nearly two years before she had been told what he was capable of and how he had no remorse. Bastila allowed a small and bitter smile to play on her lips.

"He never did regret anything... at least that hasn't changed..."

A cold shiver ran up the Padawan's spine at her own words.

"What if he was always like this..."

She knew he was a Mandalorian and by reputation, he seemed to fit in well with his own people. It was discovered that Revan had personally assassinated Senator Yusanis and she knew that the two had been good friends during the Mandalorian wars.

"If he can throw away his friendship with Yusanis..."

Bastila did not even want to think about what he would do to her. This was the Jedi's last chance. Rumors were spreading that the Sith held a weapon, the Star Forge, and that they had endless resources. The fact that the Sith seemed to have endless resources drove the Jedi to want to capture Revan.

_"He'll never allow it..."_

Bastila realized sadly.

_"He will also never change..."_

Bastila's eyes shined slightly as she stared at the datapad before her. The image of a sixteen year old Jedi Padawan that had been killed two years before by Revan's hand met her eyes. Wincing, Bastila turned away. It had been her Master's decision that Selene be sent back to spy on Revan and take advantage of whatever favor he held for her. It was also discovered by a spy that Revan had personally tortured the girl and she had died two weeks after. A sudden feeling of resolve came over Bastila.

"I will defeat him!"

Bastila stood shakily as she drove the images of that young girl's torture and sacrifice into her mind.

"I will not allow that monster to take another Jedi's life, he is not the same man I knew."

Feeling confident in her resolve, Bastila struggled to regain her senses as she slipped into a light meditation to prepare for the coming battle. In just a few hours she would board Revan's flagship with two dozen other Jedi and fifty Republic Commandoes to capture or kill Darth Revan.


	10. Chapter 10: Abandoned

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 10: Abandoned

"How long?"

Malak's mechanical voice hissed as his eyes narrowed. Saul Karath smiled as he looked through the viewport to follow Malak's gaze.

"Two hours until the Republic fleet and strike team arrives."

Malak nodded, smiling to himself as he stared at Revan's flagship.

"Do you think he suspects anything?"

Karath asked nervously. Malak snorted through his mechanical filter.

"Of course he does, but it will not matter. In three hours I will be the Dark Lord of the Sith and Revan will be one with the Force."

Darth Revan stared thoughtfully through his mask towards the Leviathan as it skilled the edge of the planet's orbit.

_"What are you planning?"_

Revan thought to himself as he awaited the completion of his ship's repairs. A year and a half had done nothing to the stalemate of the Jedi Civil War as he had predicted. The Lord of the Sith continued to stare at Malak's ship, easily sensing the hatred directed towards him. For a moment, Revan entertained the idea of dying. It really would make little difference. He had managed to, with the resources of the Star Forge, nearly annihilate the Yuuzhan Vong with the Forge's droid armies. Revan had managed to force them back to their homeworld before he simply could go no further. He could not breach the planet's heavy defenses without bringing what would have to be millions of ships down on them. He simply needed the Mass Shadow Device. With nowhere else to turn, Revan left a fleet of droid controlled vessels around the system and returned to the Sith Empire in the hopes of finding what he needed. Needless to say he had dealt the Vong a blow that would take them centuries to recover from.

_"I have them cornered... If I destroy their world... I can rid the galaxy of their threat. Even if a few escape it would take thousands of years for them to return!"_

Either way, Revan knew that the Vong could not easily breach the automated fleet he had surrounded them with.

_"I think Malak may have been right when he said to leave them be... I can always starve them out."_

The Dark Lord allowed a small smile to play on his lips before a flash of light and the sound of his flagship's alarms blaring brought a prominent scowl to his features.

"Lord Revan! A fleet of Republic ships has dropped out of hyperspace and are preparing to attack!"

A Commander announced. Revan snarled in frustration as he caught sight of Malak pulling his forces away from the planet to flee.

"What is the ship's condition?"

Revan growled.

"Weapons are at half power and our shields are useless... We also have no hyper drive and our sublight engines are only functioning at thirty percent."

Revan sighed when he caught sight of Malak's forces engaging the Republic fleet.

"Launch all fighters and prepare for evacuation."

The Commander acknowledged as the Dark Lord crossed his arms tightly across his chest and glared through the window.

"Get to your transports, we're already taking fire!"

A Republic Commando sergeant shouted as he motioned to his men to board the shuttle transports. Bastila shifted her weight slightly as she watched the first transport of troops load. She was to go on the final transport along with ten other Jedi while the other fifteen in her group would take the first two transports to Revan's flagship. The Padawan turned her eyes to see Revan's ship slowly pulling itself from its drydock. A steady stream of red streaks ignited around it and Bastila knew that the Republic's fighters has arrived and were hammering the massive dreadnaught.

"We've been boarded!"

One of the bridge officers shouted. Revan ignored the warnings and shouts as he stared at the two remaining Republic transport pods as they neared his vessel. He could feel a subtle pull of the Force making his officers nervous and knew that Bastila was there, using her Battle Meditation.

"Send all troopers to stop them..."Revan watched as his bridge emptied and only a squad of Sith troopers and four Dark Jedi remained.

"How long do you think they'll hold them off?"

A curious Dark Jedi asked. Revan sighed as he turned to stare back towards Malak's vessel.

"As long as is necessary."

Revan felt the Battle Meditation cease as he stared at the battle around him. Malak's forces were holding off the Republic fleet which surprised Revan mildly since they should have been crushing them. He knew that Bastila had ceased her Battle Meditation and narrowed his eyes dangerously.

_"What are you doing, Malak?"_

Realization fell over Revan instantly at the question.

_"Betraying me... I didn't know you had it in you."_

Sneering, Revan continued to watch the battle, curious to see when exactly Malak planned to set his scheme into motion. The sounds of the battle going on around him went unnoticed as he stared through the space between his and Malak's bridge, daring his jawless apprentice to attack. Revan's challenge was rudely interrupted as a Republic soldier breached his bridge with two Jedi and rushed him. The two Jedi were stopped by the two Sith apprentices that remained to guard him while the unfortunate Republic commando was halted from his charge by Revan's Force grip. Seeking a need to vent his frustrations, Revan allowed the man's gurgles and silent terror to calm him as he turned back to Malak's vessel. Malak had since broken from battle and the Leviathan was slowly charging his own vessel. If Revan had expected to survive this betrayal he would have cursed aloud over an open comm line to Malak but he remained silent and composed as he listened to the dying words of the man he strangled mere feet from where he stood.

"The galaxy is an unforgiving place..."

Revan whispered as he cut off the man's windpipe completely and listened to the snap as he fell lifeless to the ground. Turning, Revan's eyes fell on four dead Dark Jedi and four Jedi that stood defiantly before him.

Bastila felt a wave of dread wash over her as she charged into Revan's bridge and attacked one of the Dark Jedi as they toyed with one of her dying companions. unleashing a brutal assault against the man, she cut him down within seconds and took a moment to catch her breath as the three other Jedi, the only ones to survive the assault took defensive positions around her. She briefly caught sight of the struggling Republic soldier in Revan's grasp before he collapsed into a lifeless heap at Revan's feet. Rising anger filled her at the sight as new resolve forced itself into her.

_"This is not the same man."_

"You cannot win, Revan!"

And time for the Jedi Padawan seemed to stop as he shook his head slightly and turned to face her. Everything about his stance showed that he was annoyed, insulted even and Bastila felt even more anger grasp her at the arrogant display. Snapping from whatever thoughts had entered her as he turned slowly to face her, Bastila scowled and narrowed her eyes as she glared hatefully towards Revan.

_"You cannot win, Revan!"_

Four years he had not heard that soothing and cultured voice. The last words he had heard were a loving caress and these were a threat. Revan felt all his thoughts vanish as he laid eyes on her. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, though stray strands fell over her face. She wore that ridiculous outfit she always had that seemed to compliment her feminine features well. Her eyes were filled with shock momentarily as he looked in them, only to be clouded by anger moments later.

Revan found himself wanting to brush away those strands of hair that framed her features. The sudden advance of the three other Jedi snapped him from his thoughts as he looked between them and pulled his crimson saber. The Dark Lord stared into the pale golden glow that surrounded her features.

_"Beautiful..."_

Revan allowed a single tear to roll down his cheek as he stared into Bastila's eyes, which gleamed with rage and betrayal.

_"I have a way of destroying beautiful things..."_

Revan felt another tear roll down his face as he stared at Bastila, half in awe and half in sorrow. The realization that Malak was betraying him had completely fled his mind as he stared, captivated by this angry young woman that looked on him with such hurt. He could barely feel the pain she had gone through at his betrayal and felt more tears fall as took a breath and shuddered.

"Fire."

Malak's mechanical voice ordered as his ship rushed past Revan's.

The Dark Lord of the Sith felt his grip tighten on his saber. Lightning flickered around him as he felt a deep loathing settle in his soul. He knew at that moment that he would not survive this battle and he finally felt remorse as he stared into Bastila's accusing eyes. The thought that she hated him was so tangible that he felt he couldn't breath and all thoughts of war and destruction fled him, leaving only a scared child who did not know what to do or say to fix anything.

_"I can't do this anymore."_

The countless thousands he had murdered flashed through his mind. Yusanis and his children, now orphaned. Selene, her eyes staring at him with shock and hurt. Even Ian as he looked on him with the helplessness he now felt. Revan recalled the words of his Master Kreia when he had first asked her of the Dark Side of the Force. Instead of recoiling in horror as most Jedi Masters would have from the question, Kreia had only laughed and shook her head.

_"The Dark Side has a way of abandoning you when you need it most, Padawan."_

The Dark Side had always been there to embrace him. Through the Mandalorian wars it gave him indifference to the loss of his own men. Through the Vong campaign it gave him sanity as he fought them with cold and calculating malice. Through the Jedi Civil War it gave him the resolve to mutilate his friends and torture children. Now, now the Dark Side fled him as he stared into Bastila's eyes. The pain that settled in him was crippling as he saw the pain reflected there that was the base of the anger, the pain from his betrayal, the pain from his abandoning her.

Revan was not some arrogant fool that believed if he felt sorry that he would be granted absolution. He was not some man on the road to redemption and seeking forgiveness for all the deeds he had done. He knew he would spend his time in hell for his deeds and he would accept it readily for he knew he deserved it. But he could not go one more second with her knowing he wanted to betray her. What had she done to deserve this?

_"I'm sorry..."_

The words never left his mouth as a blinding flash of light and the sound of explosions and metal twisting met his ears. A high pitched ring was the last thing Revan sensed before he felt his connection with the living world become blinded by pain.

Bastila felt herself being thrown by the concussion of the blast. The cries of her companions were drowned out by the explosion that lit Revan's bridge. Slowly forcing herself to sit, Bastila groaned and looked towards Malak's vessel as it flew quickly out of view and blinked into hyperspace. She could feel Revan's presence in the Force, though barely and struggled to her knees as she crawled over to the fallen Dark Lord, coughing as smoke filled her eyes and lungs.

Darth Revan lay motionless, his armor tattered as he lay on his back. Bastila could see his weapon had fallen from his grasp and knelt over the Dark Lord. The Padawan was vaguely aware of the lightsaber that she held tightly in her grasp as she scowled towards Revan.

"I can end this right now..."

_"But first..."_

Bastila slowly pulled away the mask that hid what she thought would be a hideous monster. Wanting to see what the Dark Side had done to her friend she gasped and backed away form what she saw. His eyes seemed to be glazed and vacant as they stared into nothing and blood seemed to flow freely from his mouth as his body shook and twisted with convulsions. The horrific condition she saw him in what not what had startled Bastila though. Shakily rising to her knees, Bastila crawled back to his side and ran her hand gently across his pale skin, wiping away the tears that lay there mingled with his blood.

_"Why would he be crying?"_

For a moment, Bastila caught a flicker of life in Revan's eyes and froze as they stared at her for a single moment. A small, sad smile suddenly graced Revan's lips and she strained to hear him whisper her name before his eyes rolled back into his head and a violent shudder overtook his body.

Startled, Bastila backed away and stared at Revan as his life slowly and painfully slipped away. She could feel the pain through the man's massive presence in the Force and found herself holding his hand. She did not know whether it was her imagination or it actually happened, but she felt his hand tighten as she felt moisture flowing from her eyes, tears she had forced back.

"Why did you betray me?"

Bastila whispered as she shakily rank her hand through her hair. Blood was slowly pooling around his head and she knew he had sustained a massive head injury. Placing her head on his armored chest, Bastila released a pained sob as she held tightly to Revan. A sickening sound came from deep within Revan's throat and Bastila tensed as she heard him release a deep sigh. He was slipping away.

Bastila quickly pulled the armored clasps of Revan's breastplate from him and desperately beat his chest in an effort to get him to draw in another breath. Taking a deep breath, Bastila grasped Revan's head and breathed into his mouth, trying frantically to keep the flicker of life that remained in him alive. In desperation, Bastila took her own presence in the Force and wrapped it tightly around Revan's, pleading with him to not leave her again. She knew she loved him, even after he had become the Dark Lord she could not accept it and that was what had driven her to fight the Sith with everything she had, she knew that somewhere he was still there and that he wouldn't leave her alone to face what was ahead. The Sith wouldn't take Revan away like the Jedi had taken her from her father.

Reality set in for a brief moment as Bastila stood to her feet and groaned, rubbing the gash on her forehead as she struggled to pull Revan's unconscious form from the doomed vessel.


	11. Chapter 11: To Be Damned

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 11: To Be Damned

Darth Revan slowly opened his eyes, stifling a groan of pain as he took in his surroundings.

_"So I'm alive?"_

The Dark Lord noted as he cast his eyes downward to the clean white bed sheets that covered his modesty. Various instruments beeped at odd intervals, lulling the Dark Lord into a hostile demeanor as he breathed in the recycled air of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. All around him he could see the startled and terrified faces of Jedi Healers. Smirking, Revan raised an eyebrow to a Twilek woman that approached him cautiously.

"What do you plan to do with me now?"

The Dark Lord stifled a laugh as the Twilek's headtails wrapped tightly around her neck and twitched nervously.

"D- Do you know who you are?"

The woman asked quietly. Revan laughed maliciously as he sneered towards the Jedi Healer.

"I am your worst nightmare if you don't release these restraints, Jedi!"  
The woman paled slightly, but remained a safe distance from the Dark Lord.

"I don't like this..."

Jedi Master Atris spoke in a tight tone as she glared at the Dark Lord. Revan turned his gaze from the frightened healer to the Echani Jedi Master.

"Atris! How are the children?"

Atris' already pale features became as white as the bed sheets that covered the Dark Lord before they quickly shifted to a deep scarlet as the Echani Master scowled angrily.

"How dare you! Do you have any idea the atrocities you have done?"

The Dark Lord of the Sith chuckled in amusement as he tested his restraints, suddenly losing his sense of humor when he realized he could not feel the Force.

"What have you done to me!"

Revan snarled as he cast a cold glare towards Atris that even send the stubborn Jedi Master back a few steps.

"Padawan..."

Revan's eyes immediately snapped to his former Master, Zhar Leskin. Scowling, Revan glared towards the Twilek Jedi Master.

"How long..."

A sad smile played over Zhar's features as he recalled the countless times his Padawan would say those words after awaking from an injury in the Healer's.

"It has been a week since we captured you... You've been in a coma ever since."

Revan nodded, taking in the information.

"What do the Jedi want from me?"

Revan hissed as he narrowed his eyes and took in the faces of the Jedi Council.

"Are you capable of answering all our questions?"

Jedi Master Kavar asked. Revan turned and nodded, all hostility leaving his face for a moment. Kavar was the only Jedi Master he truly respected aside from the Sunriders and Vandar Tokare.

"Where did you go after the Mandalorian wars?"

Zez-Kai Ell asked somberly. Revan licked his lips and looked away from the Jedi Masters.

"Beyond the Outer Rim..."

The Dark Lord whispered. Adding no further explanation, the Jedi Masters exchanged glances.  
"Why did you come back?"  
Vrook Lamar asked in a tone that did nothing to hide his anger. Revan sighed and looked directly into Vrook's eyes.

"I needed more men. Surely the great and wise Jedi Council could have felt the countless deaths beyond the Rim?"

Revan chided in a condescending tone. Vrook turned as red as a Sith's saber and turned away, not wanting to hear the Dark Lord speak so lightly of the countless atrocities he had committed.

"That is not the reason you came..."

Lonne Vash added thoughtfully. Darth Revan sneered towards the Jedi Master.

"Kenobi."

Revan's face began to turn red with rage as he struggled violently against his restraints.

"He needed you and you threw him out!"

Atris, having regained her composure stalked towards the Dark Lord angrily.

"You corrupted him enough with your lust for war, we spared him the nightmares that you would have forced upon him."  
Revan looked taken aback for a moment by the passion burning in Atris' eyes, but quickly recovered.

"The blood of those hundreds of worlds beyond the Outer Rim that are now all but graves were not on my hands..."

Revan said quietly.  
"They are on yours for not having seen the truth. You saw Ian's actions at Malachor V as a crime but he saved the Republic with his choice. He did not fall to the Dark Side there, he was deafened to the Force by the pain he felt!"

"Enough!"

Atris screamed, breathing heavily from her own frustrations. Revan growled as she stepped closer to him.

"What drove you to make war on your own kind? The Dark Side?"

Revan raised an eyebrow as he stared at the Twelve Jedi Masters surrounding him. He noticed that the Healers had stopped whatever they were doing to listen to his 'confession.' A sadistic smile played on Revan's features as he returned Atris' glare with his own, sending a chill down the Jedi Master's spine.

"The Mandalorians or the Jedi?"

Atris's angry mask fell into confusion for a moment before she recovered and stared at the Dark Lord with open curiosity.  
"Didn't you know I was a Mandalorian? Revan the Bloodraven. Lovely story about my clan's history but I really don't have time for that right now."

Atris backed away slowly from Revan and stared at him with an unreadable expression.

"The Jedi then."

The Dark Lord of the Sith laid back in his bed and stared at the ceiling of the Healer's ward.

"Answer me this question... Who knows I am no longer in a coma?"

The Jedi Masters looked between each other, grimacing.

"Only the Council and the Healers that are present..."

Revan nodded.

"And what does the galaxy know of my fate?"

Revan questioned. Nomi Sunrider sighed heavily, looking very tired.

"They believe you were killed by the Jedi strike team on your flagship after Malak betrayed you and fired on your own vessel."

Revan nodded, taking in the information. The Jedi Masters seemed appalled at how easily he accepted Malak's actions. Not even anger was present as they spoke.  
"If I answer your questions honestly, what do you plan to do with me?"

Revan asked, his features stoic and closed.

"It is clear to us that you do not hold regret for your actions so there are two choices..."

Vrook started slowly. Revan sneered towards the aging Jedi Master.

"What are those choices?"

Vrook raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"The first that we strip you of the Force and imprison you here for the rest of your life."

Revan laughed insanely.  
"The other?"

The Dark Lord continued to laugh, unnerving the members of the Jedi High Council.  
"We wipe away your memories."

Revan's laughter ceased immediately as he gaped at the Jedi Master.

"You would murder me?"

The Jedi Masters looked between each other, each wearing different expressions.

"If... if you show remorse... We could... come up with another option."

Revan snorted at the hopeful tone in his former Master Zhar's voice.  
"You know I accept full responsibility for my actions, Zhar. You of all people should know I am no coward."  
Zhar wore a pained expression.

"Do you mean, Padawan that you... enjoyed the things you did?"

Revan frowned. Taking a moment to gather his own feelings he finally released a heavy sigh.

"They needed to be done..."

Vrook seemed enraged at this comment and stormed from the room. Revan and the Jedi Council merely watched the departure with mixed feelings.  
"Are you sure... Padawan?"

Zhar asked softly. Revan glared at his former Master.

"When I look at you I see twelve fools leading twenty thousand other fools to death and I see the Republic, the Jedi, the Force dying because of it! Do you have any idea the things that stalk the Outer Rim? Have you ever seen a creature who's only pleasure was in suffering? A creature who's entire race glorifies pain? Have you seen a Massassi warrior or looked into the eyes of the abyss as it tries again and again to swallow who you are? You are ignorant. You are arrogant children who hide away in this temple and pray for a savior to save you from your own incompetence!"

Zhar averted his eyes from his former Padawan's enraged glare.

"You don't have to be here, Zhar..."

Vima Sunrider said softly, pacing a hand on the Twilek Master's shoulder. Zhar sighed as he looked to his fallen apprentice. Revan merely glared, holding his tongue as he cast his hatred towards the Jedi Masters.

"I- I will stay. I cannot leave him alone like this..."

Zhar sighed as he took his place around Revan with ten other Jedi Masters. Revan looked between the Jedi suspiciously before he felt the Force suddenly within his grasp.

"You have been judged and found guilty of seeking the Dark Arts. Your punishment is the loss of the Force..."

Atris spoke, somberly. Cutting anyone off from the Force was a task the Jedi Council abhorred, but Revan was a special case. Revan laughed insanely as he struggled against his restraints.   
"You think you have the right? The power? The Force is with me and it will not abandon me as it will you in your final moments!"

Revan suddenly felt as if he was dealt a physical blow. Falling back into his medical bed, Revan struggled violently against his restraints and shouted obscenities to the Jedi Masters as they focused their power and stripped away his connection to the Force.

Jedi Master Vrook Lamar sighed as he entered the quarters he shared with his Padawan. Seeing the young woman asleep in her room and clutching a pillow tightly with dried tears the Jedi Master winced. He had not seen her like this since news reached them of Revan's capture by the Mandalorians. Though attachments were frowned upon, the man could not bring himself to end the friendship that had developed between his young Padawan and the once shining example of the Jedi Order.

Anger burned on his senses for a moment as he stared at the sleeping girl.

_"Because of Revan she must witness the horrors of war... Because of Revan she suffers..."_

Trembling with anger, Vrook cursed quietly to himself and left the room. The will to strike Revan down with his own weapon was too prominent when he saw the effect that man held over his Padawan. That Bastila returned from her mission at all surprised him, but that she returned with Revan, comatose was beyond him. He remembered how she had begged him to do whatever he could to save the Dark Lord and he remembered the rage he felt at her loyalty to that abomination of Jedi teachings.

_"Where did we go wrong? Was it taking him in because he was so powerful... listening to his Master Kreia. Was it her teachings that led to his failure or was it our own?"_

Vrook was startled from his thoughts by a massive cry through the Force. Rushing to his room he saw Bastila writhing in pain as she cried out in her sleep.

"No... Revan..."

Reaching through the Force to calm his Padawan's nightmares, Vrook was appalled to discover that Bastila had wrapped her own presence in the Force around Revan.

"Shit!"

Cursing to himself, Vrook rushed to the Healer's to stop his fellow Masters when he saw them all collapsed to the ground around Revan. The Dark Lord turned his cold brown eyes to Vrook and sneered.

"I told you they did not have the power."

Shocked, Vrook cautiously eyed the condition of the unconscious Jedi Masters around Revan.

"How..."

Turning his head to a terrified Healer, Vrook let the question hang in the air.

"That... that power... it- it's horrible!"

The Healer wailed as she backed away from Revan in terror. Revan sneered towards Vrook, glaring hatefully towards the Jedi Master.

"Looks like you'll have to kill me. How far does your loyalty to the flawed Jedi teachings go, Master Vrook?"

Vrook motioned for the terrified Twilek Healer to give Revan an injection. Revan calmly allowed the terrified woman to inject him and smiled coldly to the young woman.

"Goodnight, Master Jedi."

Revan whispered as the drugs lulled him into a restless state of unconsciousness.

Vrook stared at his eleven fellow Jedi Councillors in fear.

"The... scanners reported that his midichlorian count jumped to over a hundred thousand..."

The eleven other Jedi Council members all paled at the words that confirmed their suspicions.  
"Not even Exar Kun had more than forty thousand... How- How is that possible?"

Dorak Quinn asked as his brow furrowed in concern and thought,

"Ulic once told me that there were techniques in the Force that could raise one's midichlorian count... Revan had a count of nearly fifty thousand... that level is almost unheard of."

The other Jedi Masters nodded their heads as they listened to Nomi speak.

"Revan sought the artifacts of the Dark Side, we all know this but his connection to the Force... Force it doubled in there..."

Zhar sighed as he leaned back in his seat.

"Revan was always a mystery to us... His power though..."

Vandar Tokare had a thoughtful expression as he spoke in his gruff voice.

"Looking at Revan was like staring into the heart of the Force... Revan was power... When you look at him you can see all those he has killed... is going to kill... his destiny is written all over him, he is destined for greatness..."

Vrook sneered for a moment.

"Kreia always was cryptic... It is her that is to blame for this thing Revan has become."

Vandar shook his head.

"I do not believe that is the case. Already prophesied, Revan's fall was. There is a balance to him in the living and the Unifying Force... Perhaps too much power. We all know that power corrupts."

"And Revan is a fine example of corruption!"

Vrook snapped, earning a small glare from Master Vandar.

"Perhaps we are the ones who are to blame..."

The Council chambers fell silent as the Jedi Masters gaped at Master Vandar.

"We cannot deny that Revan's warnings and his requests to fight the Mandalorians were without merit. We were not there and we cannot judge what we have not seen."

Nomi and Vima Sunrider as well as Master Kavar nodded their heads in silent agreement. Vrook brought his thoughts back to the hostility and disgust he felt radiating from Revan when he had been brought to Cathar. Cringing at the memory, Vrook nodded agreement as well.

"Perhaps, but Revan's failure originates from her teachings!"

The aging Jedi Master defended.

"We all have the capacity within us to do great or terrible things... This was Revan's path and it cannot be changed."

Lonne Vash added cryptically.

"Perhaps it can..."

Atris chanced calmly. The Jedi Masters trained Atris with their eyes and waited for her explanation.  
"We can still eliminate Revan's memories... perhaps create a new personality that could... Redeem him."

Zhar shook his head furiously.

"We have no right to murder his mind, even if his body lives."

Atris cast Zhar a smoldering glare.

"Would you accept the blood of those he will kill WHEN he escapes us on your hands? That power... We cannot allow it to go unchecked."

Zhar stared back into Atris' eyes with his own glare.

"I will not murder my own Padawan."

The Council chambers fell silent as Atris averted her eyes, staring over the Coruscant city scape.

"But he would murder you..."

She said softly as she shuddered.

"It is decided then."

Vrook snapped.   
"I will have no part in this."

Zhar spoke firmly as he stood and left the chambers. Nomi and Vima Sunrider also stood, eyeing the other Masters warily.  
"This is not the way of the Jedi..."

Vima spoke as she left with her mother in tow. Kavar stood slowly, staring out over the Temple grounds and the less than lively behavior of the gathered Jedi.

"We have no choice... This is wrong but... His power..."

Kavar allowed his words to hang in the air as he began walking towards the door.

"I will support whatever actions the Council agrees on... But know that we seal our fates with this decision..."

The respected Jedi Guardian left the other Masters speechless until Vandar spoke.  
"I must speak with him before we begin..."

The other Jedi Masters agreed solemnly as the diminutive Jedi made his way to the Healer's.

Darth Revan stared with glazed eyes at the wall, knowing that in a few hours he would be dead. The doors to his chambers opened and Revan heard the scratching of Vandar's clawed feet on the floor.

"Come to hear my confession, Master Jedi?"

Revan sneered as the Jedi Master levitated himself to a seat and stared at him sadly.

"Do you regret, Revan?"

Revan's glowered openly as he looked away.

"Perhaps... But I am no coward and I will not beg forgiveness."

Vandar raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Would you earn forgiveness?"

The tiny Jedi Master asked guardedly. Revan managed to pick up on the small amount of hope in the Jedi Master's tone and sighed.  
"I cannot be forgiven, Vandar. I do not deserve forgiveness and I would never accept it..."

Revan bit his lip for a moment, his eyes shining as his thoughts ran wild.  
"The things I've done..."

A small shudder ran over the Dark Lord and Vandar's eyes traveled to the bruises and dried blood that were hidden under the restraints. Suddenly, Revan laughed coldly.

"Is that what you wanted to hear?"

The Dark Lord sneered.

"Fool! Leave me in my darkness."

Vandar looked thoughtful for a moment before the ancient Jedi Master smiled.

"You would like to see her before you die, wouldn't you?"

Revan paled slightly but made no response.

"You seek her forgiveness but you feel you are not worthy of it..."

"Shut up!"

Revan snapped, though Vandar continued.

"Such a tragedy, her life has been. Hurt by the one she loved."

Revan's pale features flushed with anger and shame.  
"I-"

Revan began but fell silent for a moment. Taking a steadying breath, Revan turned his eyes to face Vandar.

"I don't want her to know what happened to me. She would blame the Jedi... I never wanted to see her fall."

Vandar nodded.

"You would give your life to make certain she did not?"

The Jedi allowed the question to hang in the room as Revan shifted.

"I would have given my life for many things... once..."

Revan spoke in a defeated tone.

"You should tell her..."

Revan shook his head.

"It would hurt her more to know that I cared..."

Revan trailed off for a moment before turning to Vandar.

"Never speak of this again."

The Jedi Master was still for a moment before he closed his eyes and nodded.

"What did you see beyond the Rim, Revan?"

Vandar asked. Revan shook involuntarily.

"I saw the death of the Force..."

Vandar's blue-green skin paled slightly at the Dark Lord's words. He had only heard those words once, at Ian Kenobi's exile. Knowing that Revan had spoken his peace, Vandar allowed the Dark Lord his privacy. He could see the defeat burning in Revan's eyes as he spoke and he knew it was wrong to bleed all his knowledge from him. After several hours, Vandar and eight other Jedi Masters entered Revan's cell and surrounded the Dark Lord.

"Have you anything else to say?"  
Vrook asked in an angry tone. Revan merely sighed and glared towards Atris.  
"Lets end this."

Jedi Master Atris stared curiously into Revan's eyes as if asking permission. Revan glared towards the Jedi Master and allowed his cruelest smirk to grace his features.  
"Cowards!"  
Revan's thoughts and retorts were lost as pain filled him. Red and white flashes shot through his vision as he struggled violently against his restraints. After a few moments, Atris raised her head and opened her eyes, fighting to not look away from Revan's motionless body.

"It is done..."


	12. Chapter 12: Road to Redemption

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 12: Road to Redemption

Darth Revan opened his eyes slowly and sat up, staring at Jedi Master Atris. Looking down at himself, Revan scowled.

"How long was it this time?"

The Dark Lord asked the Jedi Master. Atris paled slightly and closed her eyes as she fought with herself and her decision.

"I am offering you a second chance... Surely you're interested?"

Revan snorted as he tested the restraints and took in the dim lighting around him. Raising an eyebrow, Revan turned to Atris.

"The Council doesn't know about this... do they?"

Atris sombered and shook her head.

"No one..."

Revan was surprised by those words and he knew as he scanned Atris' mind subtly that she was speaking the truth.

"I- I was the one that violated your mind and stripped away who you were... I was the one who the Jedi sent to observe you... It- its been nearly two years, Revan."

Sneering, Revan pulled against his restraints and felt one of the armbands snap. Smiling at the suddenly terrified Jedi Master, Revan removed his other restraints and stood.

"Do you think I could have some clothes, Master Jedi?"

Turning bright red, Atris nodded numbly and left the room, returning with a set of obsidian Jedi Robes. Revan eyed the clothing appreciatively as he pulled the hooded cloak over himself.

"Guilty conscience?"

Revan smirked as Atris closed her eyes.

"You were sealed away within your mind... You are not the reason I am doing this... What you said about Ian, I-"

Atris sighed and looked away. Suddenly interested, Revan seated himself on the bed and resolved to not kill the Jedi Master for a few more minutes.

"I saw the effect your death had on Vrook's Padawan..."

Revan paled and shook slightly.

"Bastila..."

Force he loved to hear that name coming from his own lips. Everything he knew about the Padawan, down to her temper tantrums he found beautiful. Smiling slightly, Revan continued to listen, suddenly feeling ashamed.

"I know what she went through and I can't deny her you... "

Revan knew that Atris had held feelings for Ian, it surprised him greatly that the Jedi Master would admit those feelings.

"Continue."

Revan said evenly as he stretched his sore arms.

"A Republic ship is preparing to attack Malak over Taris... They are taking Bastila with them and they are horribly outnumbered."

Revan sat up, staring into Atris' eyes.

"Malak has controlled the Sith for two years?"  
The Dark Lord did nothing to hide the surprise in his voice.

"Malak has gained much power since your... demise. The Council believes he is using some ancient artifact of the Dark Side to amplify and increase his power..."

Revan blinked as he stared at the Jedi Master.

_"The Star Forge..."  
_"How am I... Still myself?"

Revan asked, checking his memories and satisfied that there were no gaps.

"The technique we- I used only locked you away within your subconscious. You would be able to access your memories unconsciously..."

Revan nodded.

"While I was constructing the barrier... I caught a glimpse of what you saw..."

Atris stared intensely into Revan's eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Revan snorted.

"I thought I did."

Atris smirked.

"You knew we wouldn't believe you."

The former Dark Lord of the Sith frowned slightly.

"You know I'm not a good liar."

Sighing, Atris ran her hands through her ivory hair.

"You know Yusanis' children respect you, don't you?"

Revan furrowed his brow, looking away.

"They shouldn't."

Atris shook her head.

"They are the ones that convinced me to do this... I- I listened to the way they spoke of you, of how they still held respect for you... Brianna saw you when you were with her father you know."

Revan paled considerably.  
"She unconsciously hid her presence in the Force when she saw you and that demon droid of yours."

Atris noticed Revan's hands were trembling, smiling internally.

_"Good, he feels guilt."_

"She told me what you said... but that you didn't carry out your threat was what she respected."  
Atris cautiously closed the distance between herself and the former Dark Lord. Taking his hand, she forced him to look into her face, seeing his eyes gleaming.  
"You are still young, Revan. You can still change."

Revan pulled his hand violently from Atris' grasp.

"I don't deserve to be given that choice. I deserve to die!"  
Atris smiled, placing her hand on Revan's shoulder.

"You're afraid."

Startled, Revan's eyes snapped to Atris'.

"I can't face them... After what I've done... I can't face... her..."

Atris smiled as she saw a tear fall from his dark eyes.

"You never fell, Revan. You always did what you thought was right..."

Sneering, Revan looked away.

"What I thought was right was the furthest thing from it."  
Atris sighed, seating herself beside Revan. She had known the former Jedi as a friend of Ian's and had thought herself a friend to him at one time.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions. To be afraid... and to be angry is not the Dark side. Anyone can be redeemed, look at Ulic-"

"Shot in the back by some lowly soldier while fighting for redemption that was beyond him."

Atris scowled slightly.

"You know Nomi and Vima would kill you if they heard you say that. He became one with the Force, Revan. He was redeemed."

Sighing, Revan shook his head.

"That is the flaw of Jedi teachings... Not everyone can be redeemed..."

Atris sighed in frustration, taking a moment to calm herself.

"Would you change it now that you know?"

Revan blinked, staring at the wall before him.

"Where the Force are we anyways?"

Atris smiled.

"You're avoiding the question..."

Taking a deep breath and sighing, Revan stood, stalking to the wall and crossing his arms across his chest as he paced. Hearing a small giggle form the Jedi Master, Revan turned and gaped.

"You're pouting!"

Atris laughed as she held her side and burst into full blown laughter. Revan continued to stare at the Jedi Master, certain that raising six teenage girls had brought this change in her, one he did not mind.

"To heal your own soul, you must heal hers."

Atris said after she had stopped laughing and caught her breath. Revan scowled, hating the fact that one of the _all knowing_ members of the Jedi Council actually did know his secret.

"When she forgives you, you may be able to forgive yourself for hurting her. Love is giving someone permission to hurt you... She loved you..."

Revan scowled.

"Love is not allowing someone to hurt you and then taking them back in so they can hurt you again."

Revan muttered, clenching his hands tightly as he uncrossed his arms.

"She will need you before your time is done, Lord of the Sith..."

The words surprised Revan with their lack of usual malice. Warily, Revan turned to Atris with a guarded expression.

"What do the Jedi know of love?"

Atris flushed slightly, looking away.

_"Not so blind to her feelings as I thought..."_

Revan smirked. He knew there was a reason the Jedi Master had felt so betrayed by Ian's decision to fight in the Mandalorian wars. It saddened the former Jedi to know that whatever chance the two had was destroyed by the Jedi Code.

_"Another flaw of the Jedi teachings. There is always emotion."_

"Since when did you become so insightful?"  
Revan teased, feeling at ease with the normally eccentric Jedi Master. Atris turned to Revan, an angry expression gracing her features.

"Since I saw the effect your death had on Bastila. Vrook was livid, perhaps you did not sense the hostility..."

Atris paused.

"The unusually large amount of hostility coming from him."

Revan stifled a laugh at the Jedi Master's subconscious joke. Shame washed over him as he thought of what he would do where he in Vrook's position.

_"I'd probably obliterate the planet I was on..."_

Shaking his head, Revan blinked to clear his bleary vision, brushing the sleeve of his cloak across his eyes.

"I am giving you a second chance..."

The former Dark Lord raised an eyebrow. Atris' voice dripped with guilt.

_"Perhaps she sees that what they did to Ian was a mistake."_

Shuddering, Revan walked over to the Jedi Master and stared down at her. Atris shifted and stood from the bed, looking up into Revan's stoic visage.

"Bastila's mission to Taris is set in a month. The Council hopes that she will be able to use her Battle Meditation to capture Malak as she did you..."

Shaking his head, Revan voiced his disagreement.

"Malak betrayed me, that was how the Jedi were able to get so close to me... Whatever is planned will fail."

Atris nodded.

"The Republic ship leaves in a week. I give you three days to decide what you will do."

With that, Atris spun on her heel and left the former Dark Lord alone With his thoughts. Revan slowly made his way to the small refresher and splashed water in his face, looking up into his reflection.

"Two years..."

The former Dark Lord had already made up his mind on what he would do but he was still skeptical that he was worth redemption. He knew one thing though, he could not allow Bastila to go another day in pain that he had caused.

Three days passed before Atris returned.

"Doesn't the rest of the Council wonder what you are doing With your free time?"

Revan joked as he stood from where he was doing pushups. Atris shook her head.

"The war has nearly shattered the Order. We have divided ourselves in separate parts of the Galaxy to train and hide."

The former Jedi brushed the sweat from his brow and seated himself on a chair.

"You can't trust me you know..."

Atris smiled, sensing that Revan was lying.  
"You're right..."

Revan raised an eyebrow.

"You are a terrible lair."

Scowling, Revan crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're name will be Tauryn Katarn. It is a lot more common than Revan Bloodraven."

Revan nodded, repeating the name to himself several times.

"Now then... Tauryn... You must shield your presence in the Force and your conscious thoughts from Bastila."

Revan looked about to protest as Atris raised a hand to stop him.

"If she knows this soon she may panic. She is young and passionate."

Revan nodded reluctantly.

"Give her time..."

Sighing, Revan nodded again. Atris nodded, reaching into her snow-colored robes and pulling a lightsaber. Revan recognized it as the azure bladed one he had left With the Jedi Council five years before.

"What was I?"

Revan asked as Atris handed him the weapon.

"You were a Republic soldier. Your... personality was similar to what it is now so it shouldn't be too difficult for you to fall into character..."  
Atris paused for a moment as she watched Revan hide the lightsaber away within his cloak.

"_Good, accepting the lightsaber means he wishes to turn away from his old path..."_

"You were also recently transferred to the Endar Spire so no one will know you."

The former Dark Lord nodded.

"Has the Council been watching me?"  
Revan asked, wanting to know how free he could be in his training. Atris shook her head.

"They threw Tauryn into the Republic fleet and all but washed their hands of you."  
Revan nodded.

"Does Bastila know?"

Sighing, Atris closed her eyes.

"She thinks your mind was too damaged for your memories to return. She saved you you know..."

Revan grimaced slightly.

"Her actions on that bridge... they created a bond between the two of you... One you must be wary of should she discover you."

The former Jedi took in the new information, wincing.

"I will be careful, Master Atris."

Surprised by the respectful display, Atris nodded.   
"You will be free to move about the facility for the next three days. Tauryn Katarn was to be on leave on the Citadel station while The Endar Spire loads supplies and its new crew."

Revan furrowed his brow.  
"What is the Citadel station?"

Frowning, Atris motioned for Revan to follow her. The former Dark Lord eyed the blue polished steel of what seemed to be a perfect replica of the Jedi Temple of Coruscant.

"You should probably spend your time following the developments since your... mindwipe..."

Revan nodded, seating himself in a lounge area of the Enclave. Lifting a datapad from a pile on the table, Revan reacquainted himself With the Galaxy.

Atris lingered for a moment, breathing a sigh of relief. Ever since wiping Revan's memories, she had felt as best she could describe, dirty. She felt a fraction of the guilt and anger that welled in the Dark Lord as she violated his mind and she felt as though she had murdered him. Shuddering at how she had simply erased the new personality from Revan's mind, Atris made certain to leave a datapad containing all the information Revan needed to know about his alter ego.

"May the Force be With you, Revan Bloodraven."

Revan was immersed in a datapad about the condition of the Republic Senate and the Jedi Order when he heard movement in the room. The former Dark Lord's eyes snapped to the intruder and he growled low in his throat as he smirked.

_"I guess its just a Mandalorian thing."_

"Who's there?"

Timidly, a young woman walked into the room and cautiously approached him, her hands clasped before her nervously. Instantly, Revan knew who it was.

"May I ask you a question?"

The young woman asked. Revan nodded, eyeing the girl warily.

"My father... Yusanis... did- How did he die?"

The girl asked. Revan eyed the youngest child of his former friend.  
"He died honorably and to protect you from me."

Revan hissed.

"Now leave me."

Revan snarled as he turned impatiently down to his datapad, not wanting to see first-hand the results of his sins.

"Thank you..."

Brianna said softly as she stood and stared at the former Dark Lord with an unreadable expression. Revan continued to stare at the datapad, his eyes narrowing.

"May I challenge you, Lord Revan?"

Knowing he would get no peace with his own conscience if he did not give the girl this reprieve, Revan nodded reluctantly.

"Very well."

Brianna smiled slightly and nodded, leaving the room. Revan shuddered at the resemblance the girl bore to her mother. He could remember when he, Yusanis, Arren, Malak and Ian were drinking in a bar during a small break form the combat how Yusanis would speak of how proud he was of his daughter and how he had showed him holos.

_"You're better..."_

Yusanis' last words echoed in Revan's mind as the Dark Lord ran his hands shakily through his hair.

As he expected, Revan easily defeated Brianna and her sisters in hand to hand combat. The former Jedi was surprised by the skill each of the girls displayed and was certain Yusanis would be proud. Clenching his hands in anger directed at himself, Revan turned his thoughts to the children of Yusanis. The fact that they seemed to respect him and were enthralled by him left the former Sith torn.

_"They should hate me... This isn't normal..."_

Frowning, Revan shook his head.

_"Okay, maybe in Echani culture it is... but the lack of bitterness..."_

Approaching footsteps snapped the Dark Lord from his thoughts.

"You will be leaving tomorrow... Brianna will escort you to the Citadel station and from there you will report to the Endar Spire. When you see Bastila make certain you hide your thoughts..."

Revan nodded, knowing that the fate of the Republic and the Jedi were again in his hands.   
"Thank you, Atris."

Revan said softly as he ran a hand through his short and spiky hair. Atris eyed the man's disheveled appearance.

"You may want to shave as well... You look like you've been on an all night Tarisian ale drinking binge."

Revan breathed a single laugh and nodded, rubbing the unkempt stubble on his face.

"I' guess I could use a good shave."

The next day, Revan and Brianna took a transport shuttle to the Citadel station where the Echani left the former Dark Lord. Revan brushed a hand over his goatee and licked his lips as he looked around the landing pad.

"Now then, where the hell are the Republic transports..."

The former Dark Lord of the Sith pulled his duffel bag containing his lightsaber and obsidian Jedi robes over his shoulder as he glared openly at the Republic uniform he wore.

_"I never like these things."_

Revan muttered to himself as he pulled on the collar of the uncomfortable armor.

Well there ya have it. I decided to go AU. I hope I didn't make Atris too out of character. I wanted to convey that she was feeling guilty at the end of the last chapter and that is partially what influenced her decision here. I'd like some feedback to see if you like this or dislike it. Constructive criticism is always good.


	13. Chapter 13: The Endar Spire

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 13: The Endar Spire

The former Lord of the Sith, Darth Revan stared at the bulkhead above his bunk on the Endar Spire. The Republic vessel had departed Telos and was making several more stops over the next two weeks before it would join a small fleet and attack Malak over Taris. The former Dark Lord of the Sith spent most of those two weeks avoiding the Jedi on board like the plague, though he knew his name was on the crew logs and that he would likely be shadowed.

Carth Onasi glared silently across the mess hall to the Republic soldier that sat alone, eating his meal. For some reason unknown to him the Jedi on board about had a collective heart attack when they had read this man's name in the Spire's crew logs. As the Republic Commander turned his attention back to his datapad that held the man's information he frowned.

_"I don't understand why the Jedi were so interested in this man..."_

Shaking his head, Carth continued to stare at the datapad until someone seating themself at his table forced him to look up.

"Hello, Commander Onasi."

Bastila nodded her head as she sat across from the Republic officer. Carth returned the nod with a neutral expression as he looked past her to Tauryn Katarn. The man was seated away from everyone else and didn't appear to mind. Seeing the glazed expression forming over Carth's face, Bastila turned to see what the man was looking at and paled.

"There's something about him..."

She heard Carth say though she forced herself to turn away from Revan and looked down to her meal, suddenly not hungry.

"Hmm?"

Bastila asked as Carth raised his voice.

"I was wondering why the Jedi wanted so much information on him..."

Bastila frowned and blinked at Carth.

"Tauryn Katarn."

Carth repeated the name as he nodded in Revan's direction. Bastila felt a pull in her stomach and looked towards the room's exit, cursing as she saw Revan rise slowly and stop by the doors to talk to a young woman. Flushing slightly, Bastila felt a stab of anger at seeing the former Sith Lord speaking so openly to someone and ignoring her presence completely. The Padawan winced when she thought of the reason why he ignored her presence.

_"He doesn't know me... He isn't the same person. Force I'm probably the last person this Tauryn would want to know..."_

Shivering slightly, Bastila turned from the blocked escape route and back to Carth, sighing in relief as three of her fellow Jedi seated themselves near her.

"He aided a Jedi Master on a mission once and we thought that Master Zhar would want to know how he was doing."

_"Not exactly a lie..."_

Bastila smiled in triumph to herself before Carth's next question made her stiffen.

"Why don't you just go talk to him instead of raiding the Republic's crew logs? I'm sure it would be easier, Padawan Shan."

Carth asked as he gave Bastila a calculating look. Outward, Bastila was the epitome of Jedi stoicism though inwardly she wanted to scream and cry as she hid in a corner.

"He's a rather anti-social man from what I've heard..."

Bastila noticed a grin form on Carth's lips and turned to see the young woman openly flirting with Revan though he seemed oblivious or unswayed by the woman's actions.

"It doesn't look like he's anti-social to me!"  
Carth joked, flinching when he saw the rage flash across Bastila's face in a twisted sneer more suiting a Sith Lord than a Jedi Padawan. Bastila and Carth silently watched Revan joke with the young woman before she somehow maneuvered to run her hand across his chest. Revan backed away immediately with a confused expression before the woman whispered something to him and he frowned, shaking his head and leaving the woman to gape at his retreating form. Shaken, the woman walked over and much to Bastila's dismay seated herself next to Carth.

"What was that all about, Norim?"

Carth asked his fellow soldier. Norim sneered for a moment before shaking her head.

"I asked if he wanted to go back to my quarters and have a drink and he said he had to train..."

Carth openly laughed at the woman's anger and turned to see Bastila smiling sadly.

_"That sounds like him..."_

Bastila frowned as she brutally squashed the thought, unwilling to think about what she had lost.

_"But it isn't him."_

She chastised as she turned to the spot he had been standing. Shaking her head, Bastila politely excused herself and stalked to her quarters to meditate and center herself for the coming battle.

_"I need to get him out of my thoughts. I can't afford to be distracted by my own ghosts..."_

Shuddering at her own thoughts, Bastila seated herself and slipped into a light meditation to channel her energies and focus on the mission.

After several hours of cursing and shifting in continuing discomfort, Bastila sighed miserably and laid on her bed, pulling her pillow into her arms and burying her face in it as she tried desperately to calm herself.

Revan stood in his refresher and stared at his reflection with a sneer. Avoiding Bastila was becoming very difficult and when he had seen her in the Spire's mess hall he was tempted to speak with her.

_"Very tempted."_

Revan growled angrily at his lack of control as he moved to a more open space and began training his body ruthlessly to clear his mind.

_"You can't let her know... yet..."_

The former Lord of the Sith snarled in frustration as he increased the pace is his push ups and launched himself into a violent exercise routine.

"All hands, this is Commander Onasi. We are preparing to depart the orbital station. Stand by."

Revan ignored the announcement and continued to torture himself.

"All hands we are entering hyperspace and should arrive at Taris in ten hours."

Revan vaguely noted the amount of time he had until he would likely be destroyed with the rest of the crew my Malak's massive fleet and continued his brutal workout.

Seven hours passed before Revan had gained a somewhat pleasant demeanor, mainly due to exhaustion. Falling into his bunk, Revan fell asleep immediately, not even remembering that they would be battling Malak in three hours.

Revan awoke to the sound of alarms and explosions impacting the hull of the Spire three hours later. Cursing, the former Sith Lord stood and looked around his room, surprised to have not seen his bunkmate in the ten odd hours he had spent there.

_"Must've been working a double shift."_

Revan quickly rushed to his locker, throwing on a simple battlesuit that allowed more range to his movements than the uncomfortable fashion disaster of orange and tan Republic armor. Grabbing his duffel that contained his 'Jedi' equipment, Revan lifted a small holdout blaster and strapped the holster to his side as his roommate had an appearance.

"The Endar Spire is under attack be a Sith battle fleet!"

Trask explained. Revan gave the man a blank stare.

"The Sith want Bastila alive! We have to get to the bridge!"

Revan snapped out of his thoughts of strangling the man, what he said was true even if it was a massive waste of precious time.

"Then lets go."

Trask quickly worked on the sealed door and led the way down a hallway as the Spire's internal comm system. After hearing the announcement of the situation, Revan turned to Trask who was explaining the situation to him again and glared.

"Shut up and move it, soldier!"  
Revan snapped. Trask frowned and nodded, making his way to a door and slicing the lock. Revan grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back as a blaster bolt whizzed by.

"Thanks."

Revan nodded to Trask and pulled his holdout blaster, subtly using the Force to see what they were up against.   
"Cover me."  
Trask nodded and pulled his own blaster, shouting a battle cry as Revan bolted around the corner."For the Republic!"

Trask shouted as he fired and struck a Sith trooper in the chest. Revan sidestepped a blaster bolt and got within range of two other Sith troopers. Trask took one of the soldiers down and the other pulled a vibroblade, swinging wildly towards Revan. Revan easily avoided the attack and breached the Sith trooper's defenses, grabbing the soldier's arm and twisting it painfully before he brought his blaster to the base of the soldier's helmet and fired once.

"I don't think these will be the last Sith we run into..."

Trask said in annoyance. Revan nodded, forgetting his hostility at the man's seemingly condescending tone.

_"I was asleep in the middle of a battle that we had more then enough time to prepare for..."_

Revan reasoned. Lifting the fallen Sith's vibroblade, Revan turned to Trask.

"Shall we?"

The former Jedi asked with a grin, liking the feel of battle after so long.

_"Must be a Mandalorian thing..."_

Revan thought. Trask grinned back, tossing Revan a medpack that the former Jedi stuffed into his bag. The next group of Sith they ran into had sealed themselves in a small room and were easily dispatched by the seasoned Soldier and the former Jedi. Revan crouched as he approached a corridor, peering around the corner to see a squad of Sith troopers engaged in a firefight with several Republic soldiers. The Sith's superior numbers soon paid off and the Republic soldiers were all dead within moments. Revan sighed in frustration and turned to Trask.

"Looks like about seven or eight Sith troopers up ahead."

Trask nodded, looking around the corner and cursing under his breath.

"Got any grenades in that thing?"

Trask asked, motioning his head to Revan's pack. Revan shook his head and thought for a moment.

"You have an extra blaster?"  
Revan asked. Trask shook his head and looked around for a moment, spotting a corpse and a blaster rifle nearby.  
"Hold on."

Trask moved silently to the corpse and lifted the blaster, searching the fallen soldier briefly for grenades before returning. Revan nodded to him, taking the rifle and bashing with the hilt of his vibroblade before pulling a wire from the weapon and crossing it over the firing mechanism.

"A little trick I learned on Onderon."  
Revan smirked as he pulled the trigger of his homemade thermal detonator and threw it into the corridor towards the unsuspecting Sith. A blinding flash of light and a wave of heat followed as the rifle overloaded and exploded. Revan and Trask waited until the sound of debris flying died down before rushing forward and killing the three Sith that still breathed. Revan and Trask quickly made their way to a corridor leading to the bridge through Revan could sense the battle ahead he chose to say nothing. As the door opened, Trask cursed as he saw a Jedi and a Sith locked in a deadly lightsaber duel.

"On no a Dark Jedi! This fight is too much for us, we'd better stay back. All we'd do is get in the way..."

Revan turned to his companion and raised an eyebrow, shrugging as he turned back to watch the duel and scrutinize the Sith and the Jedi's fighting styles.

_"Not too bad, the Sith is getting too confident though..."_

Revan nodded his head in approval as the young woman dueling with the Dark Jedi breached his defenses and struck her opponent across the chest. A blaster bolt whizzed by the woman and she turned to deflect it before the last sound she heard was Revan cursing. The blaster bolt made its way past the Jedi and connected with a power coupling, causing an explosion that killed the young woman and one of the Sith troopers nearby. Revan threw his weight against Trask and shoved him clear of the explosion.

"Power coupling."

Revan explained. Trask nodded his thanks as the two stood and killed two Sith troopers that remained in the hallway. Seeing that Revan was already carrying his vibroblade, Trask moved to the side of the door, preparing to cover the other man as they stormed the bridge.   
"Ready?"

Trask asked as his hand hovered over the door controls, Revan smirked and nodded as Trask opened the door, the thrill of the battle falling over him. Revan rushed forward as the door opened startling two nearby Sith troopers. Revan cleanly cut one in half at the abdomen and moved in an upward strike, cutting through the other's chest and mask. Trask fired a volley into a group of Sith troopers that were dueling with some Republic soldiers before an incoming shot from one of the Sith vessels caused an overload in the bridge's power systems, causing an explosion to consume most of the bridge and kill all but Revan and Trask. Revan frowned at the sight and ignored the rising smoke as he turned to Trask, who had gone back to check on the Jedi.

"Damn, we could have used her help..."

He heard the soldier mutter. Revan continued to shield his presence in the Force, not wanting to search out Bastila for fear of causing her a distraction that could prove fatal.

"Come on Trask, let's move. There's nothing here."  
Trask nodded, staring down at the fallen Jedi and his comrades before an angry expression formed over his face and he pulled a vibroblade, charging ahead of Revan and away from the bridge. Revan took off after his bunkmate and made it to the next room in time to see Trask shouting to him to run.

"Damn another Dark Jedi! I'll hold him off, you get to the escape pods, go!"

Revan was about to protest when the man suddenly fired his blaster on the door, sealing himself away with the Sith. Revan cursed, staring at the door for a moment with feelings of guilt and respect.

"I guess I misjudged him..."

Shaking his head, Revan made his way from the scene, knowing that Trask was already lying on the floor in several pieces. Placing the vibroblade in his duffel, Revan pulled his lightsaber and threw the outer layer of his armor on the floor to free his movements.

_"I wonder what the Jedi did with my armor..."_

Revan thought longingly for his customized armor that gave his a free range of movements and excellent protection. Shaking his head, Revan activated his lightsaber and was about to rush the single guard he sensed ahead when his wrist comm beeped. Cursing, Revan deactivated his saber and answered.

"There's a guard up ahead so you might want to try sneaking past him..."

A familiar voice suggested. Revan grunted into the comm.  
"Thanks for the info, buddy."

He muttered sarcastically.

"Bastila's escape pod is away. We're the last two Republic soldiers on board so I suggest you hurry. Now that Bastila is gone there's nothing stopping the Sith from blowing us to cinders."  
Revan nodded absently.

"Good point, see you in a minute."

Revan shut down the communication and rushed a very surprised and terrified Sith trooper, decapitating him in moments. Stalking into the next room, Revan openly used the Force to strangle the two troopers within. His comm blinked again and Revan sighed.

"Yes?"

Revan asked.

"There's an entire squad in the next corridor. I suggest you try overloading the power conduit or using that battle droid in there."

Revan frowned, wondering if his open display of Force powers had been a mistake and some Jedi or Republic officer was watching him. Scanning the room for a moment, Revan saw no listening or visual devices and sighed in relief, placing his lightsaber back in his pack and pillaging a locker, throwing the supplies in the bag.

_"I can always say I thought we could use these on the planet below..."_

Revan quickly pulled his vibroblade and walked quickly to the computer terminal. After trying for a moment to hack the console, Revan sighed in frustration and used the Force to manipulate the computer's lock. An explosion in the next chamber caused Revan to smirk as he walked into the room, lifting the Sith's weapons and stuffing one of the Elite's crimson armor into his pack.

_"You never know..."  
_Revan entered the next room to find a man in a hideous orange jacket waiting for him.

"You've made it just in time! Now hurry we've gotta get out of here!"  
The man quickly made his way to an escape pod, only to be stopped by Revan's voice.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

Revan asked warily, wondering how the man had known all the things he did.

"I'm just a soldier with the Republic... like you... Now come on, we don't have time for this!"

Revan nodded, jumping into the pod after the man and blasting away from the Endar Spire. From the view screen in the pod, Revan could see the Sith fighters moving away from the ship as the landing transports pulled away. The Spire was consumed by turboblaster fire and blinked out of life in a bright orange explosion. A curse from his companion alerted Revan to the current situation. Turning his head, Revan saw the man had already strapped himself in and cursed himself, rushing to an open seat just as the pod impacted on the surface of Taris.

The former Sith Lord was thrown violently into the opposite side of the pod and lost consciousness immediately. Carth groaned as he pulled loose his restraints and looked down at the tears in his uniform and the bruises forming. The Republic Commander turned to see his companion sprawled on the floor, blood oozing from a cut on his forehead.

"Dammit!"  
Carth cursed as he quickly scrambled to his feet and unconsciously grabbed the man's pack. The pod's door blew away and Carth struggled with Revan's weight and the pack. After clearing the pod, Carth noticed with relief that the area was deserted, though the noise would likely attract bystanders. Heaving Revan over his shoulder, Carth trudged towards an obscure apartment complex and as quietly as he could, searched for a place he and his companion could hold out.

Explanation: Since I am using an AU I may change some or a lot of the dialogue you are all familiar with in the game... That and I don't feel like replaying it with my lack of time recently and I don't want to completely copy the game. I will try updating this story as often as possible and I am grateful for all your reviews.


	14. Chapter 14: Suspicions

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14: Suspicions

Carth Onasi sighed in relief as he set his unconscious companion on a cot and searched through the duffel the man was carrying. Noting several valuable and useful items, Carth nodded in approval of the man's foresight before his hand came across a cool metal cylinder. Frowning, Carth pulled the device from the bag and scowled, turning to his companion. After clicking the button and seeing a blue beam shoot forth, Carth calmed himself and rummaged through the pack for a medpack. The Republic soldier warily looked his companion over for injuries and administered a small amount of kolto before he stalked back to the table and searched through the contents of their supplies.

Bastila groaned as she undid the clasp of her restraints and stumbled to the floor. Her hand idly ran to her belt and all grogginess vanished when she realized her lightsaber was absent. Cursing, Bastila rubbed the bump on the back of her head where it had impacted from the whiplash of the landing and searched for her weapon. The Padawan's vision swam for a moment as nausea passed over her.

_"Force, I must have a concussion."_

Knowing she had little time and that Sith patrols could be nearing, Bastila searched quickly for a weapon. A sudden feeling gripped at her heart as she thought of the Spire's destruction.  
_"Did Revan escape... Was he captured?"_

Shivering slightly, Bastila turned to see her lightsaber wedged between an outcropping of one of the other seats. The Padawan struggled for a moment to pull the weapon free, cursing as it refused to budge.  
"Dammit!"  
Bastila snarled as she turned her attention to her companions. After a brief scan through the Force she closed her eyes and allowed a moment of silence, knowing they had become one with the Force. Seeing a vibroblade in a sheath on one of the dead soldiers, Bastila pulled it from its case and attempted to pry her saber from its prison. Bastila paused for a moment as nausea rose once more within her and took a steadying breath. A clicking noise on the hull of the escape pod alerted the Padawan to intruders. Cursing, Bastila stood beside the door, preparing to strike with the vibroblade.   
The sound of metal whining was heard as the pod's door was wretched free and Bastila swayed slightly, her eyes rolling back into her head as her concussion came back in full Force.

"What to we have here!"

A voice leered. Fighting for control, Bastila removed her hand from the support of the wall and glared at the alien. The Padawan moved swiftly, despite her condition and cut the man cleanly across his chest. A death-cry sounded from the man as he fell back from the opening. Bastila panted for a moment, the use of her Battle Meditation and the emotional and physical drain on her body exhausting her. She was vaguely aware of a clicking sound and turned to see a flash grenade drop into her pod. Cursing, Bastila was blinded by the flash as she failed to cover her eyes.

The Padawan's brain was wracked with pain as the light flooded her already overloaded senses. Crying out, Bastila dropped to the ground and before she could recover, felt a powerful hand wrap tightly around her.  
"Take her back to Brejik."

A voice hissed. Bastila struggled against the hold weakly until a blaster handle connected with the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious.

Carth sighed in frustration as he tossed his datapad on his bunk. He had been searching through the personnel files for hours and he could find nothing wrong with his companion, Tauryn Katarn's service record. The soldier literally had a spotless record. Frowning, Carth stood and walked over to his unconscious companion.

In Carth's opinion, it looked like the man was having a nightmare of hallucinating. He could hear him mumbling incoherently but he could never decipher the words. Shaking his head, Carth quickly scanned the man before leaving the apartment to scout the area. The Republic soldier's exploration of Taris was uneventful. It was like any other Sith controlled world he had seen. The populations living in terror and the Sith and upper classes living off of them. Disgusted, Carth stalked to a restaurant and used some spare credits to get some food.

Bastila awoke in a cell, shivering slightly. Looking down at her apparel, Bastila snarled angrily as she eyed the slave's outfit.

"What the devil is this! I'm not a bloody tart you know!"

She screamed, groaning as the sound cause a wave of pain to assault her. The doors opened several minutes later and a dark-skinned human walked in, leering at her.

"You are now, woman."

The man declared. Bastila's eyes narrowed as she took a defensive stance. The man laughed and shook his head.

"Its too bad I've already offered you up as the Swoop Championship's prize..."

The man smirked as he eyed Bastila. Bastila glared at him and motioned with her hand, sending him into the now sealed doorway.

"What?"  
Shaking his head for a moment, the man jumped to his feet.

"Guards!"  
He screamed. Soon several aliens rushed into the room and shot Bastila with a stun bolt before she could recover from the headache the Force attack had given her. After a guard helped him to his feet, Brejik stared down at Bastila, shaken and angry.

"Find a neutral disruptor... now!"

He screamed to his guards. Turning his attention back to the unconscious Jedi, Brejik scowled.

Carth returned to his hideout from another scouting mission to find his companion sitting up, looking around the room with a glazed expression. Seeing Carth, Revan grunted and rubbed his head.

"What the hell happened?"

Revan asked, feeling like he had alcohol poisoning.

"You're been slipping in and out of consciousness for a few days now..."

Revan felt a dull throb in his skull and scowled, rubbing the lump that still hadn't receded as Carth continued to explain their situation.

"I guess I owe you my life... thanks. My name's Tauryn Katarn by the way."

Carth nodded.

"Carth Onasi."

The former Dark Lord smirked.

"Did you say Darth Onasi?"

Carth blinked for a moment then scowled.

"Hell no, that is NOT funny."

Revan chuckled.

"I thought it was."

Carth's eyes narrowed as he pulled a lightsaber from Revan's pack. Revan noticed the Sith Uniform he had stolen was present along with the Jedi robes he had stowed away.

"Care to explain this?"

Carth asked in a suspicious tone as he palmed his blaster. Revan gave Carth a calculating look for a moment. He could sense a lot of hostility burning in the man though overall he felt that he could trust him. After a subtle probe with the Force, Revan dismissed throwing Carth from the apartment's balcony.

"I figured we could use whatever we could get our hands on... being on a Sith occupied world. You saw me strip that armor from that Elite."

Carth scowled but nodded.

"Fine. I've been scouting this place the past couple days and-"

"In that?"

Revan asked incredulously, motioning to Carth's Republic flight suit and hideous orange jacket. Carth furrowed his brow and looked down at his own appearance.  
"What?"

Shaking his head, Revan sighed.

"I don't think its such a good idea to be walking around in Republic gear... regardless of how little."

Revan muttered. Carth shrugged, he had been fine so far.

"Jedi or Sith?"

Revan asked as he stretched and stood, glad that the throbbing in his head had calmed. Carth sneered at him for a moment.

"WHAT?"

The man roared. Revan winced as the sound caused his head to throb.

"Hey Darth, quiet down."

Carth fumed at the nickname and glared down at the red Sith uniform and the obsidian Jedi robes that could easily pass as a Dark Jedi's gear.

"I'm more handy with a blaster and they might recognize me..."

Revan nodded, stalking to the refresher.

"Good, I'll be back in a minute."

Sighing in frustration, Carth shed his Republic gear and pulled on the crimson Sith armor.

"Great..."

Revan returned several minutes later, a towel draped around his neck as he eyed the Jedi robes. Carth scowled as he held the red and black Sith helmet in his hands.

"I wish there was another way..."  
Revan nodded.

"Yes... but look at it this way..."  
Revan began as he laced his knee high boots.

"What better way to get by the Sith patrols than by looking like one."

Knowing Revan was right, Carth said nothing, only grunted as he pulled the helmet over his head.

"It smells like someone died in this..."

Revan laughed.

"Someone was fried to a crisp in that, I'm surprised there's no carbon scoring on the outside..."  
Revan added thoughtfully. Carth merely glared at his companion. Revan's bemused and groggy tone vanished instantly as he pulled the cloak over his shoulders and strapped the lightsaber to his belt along with a shoulder holstered holdout blaster and a small vibrodaggar.   
"If we're going to find Bastila, we'd better hurry..."

Revan began, his serious tone so different from what it was before that Carth shivered involuntarily. The younger man's face was a mask of seriousness and intelligence that Carth was startled with for a moment before he spoke.

"I understand from your files that you speak a remarkable amount of alien languages..."  
He said, trying to break through the mask of seriousness. Revan nodded, his features relaxing slightly.

"You get that running from the scum along the Outer Rim..."

Revan said bitterly. Carth nodded, knowing that the man was raised on an Outer Rim world from his files.

"You should destroy that datapad..."

Revan began. Carth briefly wondered why he was listening to a soldier, since he was the senior and superior officer but shook the thought from his mind. From what he could tell, Tauryn Katarn knew what he was doing and how to blend in. After incinerating the Republic files on the datapad, Carth followed Revan at a distance as they walked out of the apartment.

"Alright you alien scum, up against the wall!"

A Sith officer shouted, waving his blaster rifle threateningly towards two Duros. Revan shook his head.

"Get out."  
He roared to the officer, pointing towards the exit. The officer gave him a puzzled look.

"You are ruining an investigation. If you have a problem with this you can always take it up with me..."

Revan took a menacing step forward, allowing his hand to reveal the lightsaber hanging from his waist. The Sith officer paled considerably.  
"O- of course, sir."

The Sith officer and his droids vanished within moments. Revan turned to the two Duros.  
"Leave, now."

He said simply. Both Duros nodded and quickly rushed away.

"That was fun..."

Carth muttered sarcastically through his mechanical filter. Revan made no response as he led the way from the apartment.

"This place is in pretty bad shape..."

Revan said thoughtfully as he eyed the slightly worn appearance of the Tarisian upper city. Carth snorted.

"This is nothing. They say it gets worse the further you go down. Damn Sith."

Revan sneered for a moment towards a Sith trooper that walked too closely to him. The trooper jerked in shock and scurried away from what he thought to be a Dark Jedi.

"Kind of reminds me of Nar Shadda... and Coruscant..."

Carth scowled slightly, knowing the comparison had some merit.

"Yea, lets get moving. We don't have time to stand around all day."

Revan nodded his agreement as he led Carth to another section of the Tarisian cityscape. As he approached a walkway, Revan heard a man crying out.

"Help me, please! They're going to kill me!"

Turning his attention to Carth, Revan gave him a questioning look.

"Its not like we don't stick out already..."

Carth muttered as Revan nodded and walked over to the two bounty hunters and the old man.

"What's all this racket?"  
Revan snarled in an excellent impression of a Dark Jedi.

"Hey hold on, looks like we've got some company..."

The human bounty hunter said to his aqualish companion.

"You know the deal between Davik and you Sith..."

The man muttered dismissive and turned back to threaten the old man. Revan sighed, shaking his head.

"The deal is with the governor, not me."

Revan hissed. The bounty hunter stiffened and turned.

"It looks like we're going to have to teach you a lesson then..."

The man muttered, nodding to his companion. Before either of them could pull their weapons, they both felt Revan's hands on their shoulders.

"Goodbye."

Revan sighed as he threw the offending bounty hunters over the edge of the walkway.

"Thank you for saving me!"

The old man began, Revan glared at the man.

"Get the hell away from me."

Revan snarled, causing the old man to stumble away in shock and fear. Carth was about to comment on his companion's cruelty when he noticed a squad of Sith troopers approaching the spectacle. One of the troopers looked over the edge of the walkway and laughed, clapping his hand on Revan's shoulder.

"That was a great idea!"

Revan smirked.

"Gets your filthy hands off me, low class."

The soldier stiffened for a moment and glared at Revan through his mask.

"What did you-"

The man's words were cut off by a blood curdling scream as Revan took the offending hand and twisted it, bringing the trooper to his knees.

"I said..."

Revan began, hearing a snap.

"Get. Your. Filthy. Hands. Off. Me. Low. Class."

Revan enunciated each word with more pressure, causing the trooper to cry out in pain. Releasing the trooper, Revan waited for the man's reaction. The other troopers stood by laughing at the man.

"Fine..."  
The man breathed as he stood and held his arm. Revan nodded, turning on his heel and walking through the walkway with Carth following close behind. Revan heard a pop and the man scream as he tried to fix his dislocated shoulder.

"Wasn't that a but... extreme?"

Carth questioned quietly. Revan shook his head.

"From what I've seen of the Sith, we fit in perfectly. And we couldn't make it look like we were trying to help that man..."

Carth nodded silently. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought his companion was just having fun.

"So where are you from?"

Revan asked suddenly as he and Carth continued down the walkways, ignoring a group of drunken men who were trying to get their attention.

"Telos..."

Carth answered simply. Revan nodded.

"Which war?"

Carth grumbled something inaudible to himself and growled.

"Both."

He said simply as he glared at Revan. Revan nodded once more.

_"Where have I heard of Onasi and Telos before..."_

Revan furrowed his brow in thought. He had heard that a Sith patrol had captured a group of citizens before the bombardment of Telos and could have sworn that he remembered hearing the name Onasi from Admiral Karath as he spoke with Malak.

"Sorry..."  
Revan began. Carth sighed heavily.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not used to people prying into my past."

Revan nodded.

"So what about you, where are you from?"

Carth asked as they navigated past a man shouting about evils walking amongst them. Revan turned his head to glare at the man for a moment before rolling his eyes and continuing to the lift that would take them to the Undercity.

"Some Outer Rim world that the Mandalorians burned when I was a kid..."

Revan did not add that he was one of those Mandalorians. Carth was silent for a moment before he sighed.

"Lovely galaxy we live in, huh?"  
He muttered sarcastically. Revan sighed as well as he passed the silver clad guard and entered the lift to the Undercity, ignoring what the trooper was saying.

"Yes... yes we do."

Revan motioned for Carth to fall silent as the lift doors closed. Taking a datapad, Revan quickly wrote down the reason.

_"The lift may have listening devices in it, be silent until we clear it on the lower levels."_

Carth nodded and handed the datapad back to Revan as the former Jedi leaned against the wall. As the lift slowed, Revan pulled himself from the wall and pulled his blaster.

"From what I've heard the scum down here doesn't wait until you're ready."

Revan added. Carth nodded, readying his blasterpistols. The lift doors opened and immediately blasterfire rained into the lift. Revan noticed that the fire seemed to be random and chanced a glance. Two groups of aliens and humans were exchanging fire between themselves and it looked as though the group of Tradosians was winning.

"What do you see?"

Carth yelled, firing randomly from the lift.

"Looks like a gang war..."

Revan muttered as he pulled himself back into the lift and waited as the sounds of battle slowly died down.

"Why do you think they were fighting here?"

Carth asked as he searched his pack for a grenade. The sound of battle ceased and Revan heard an alien shouting.

"Sith are not welcome here!"

Casting a glance to Carth, Revan nodded to the soldier as he raised his holdout blaster and fired a volley alongside the Republic Commander. The Vulkars were soon dead and the two made their way to their bodies. Revan kicked one of the less dead corpses and fired a single blast into his skull.

_"I never said I wanted to be a Jedi again, I just said I didn't want to be the Lord of the Sith..."_

Revan mentally reasoned as he made a disgusted face at the corpses.

"Looks like they are wearing the colors of the Black Vulkars... A local gang."

Revan nodded to Carth's explanation.

"Mind if I ask you something, soldier?"

Carth asked, pulling rank. Revan shrugged as he warily eyed his surroundings.

"Go for it Republic boy."

Carth scowled for a moment before asking.

"You seem a bit... bloodthirsty... Any reason?"

Carth asked. Revan winced slightly. To be truthful he was pissed that he couldn't get a good lock on Bastila's presence and was beginning to think she was seriously injured.

"I just don't like seeing all this scum in one place... It reminds me of the war..."

Revan explained. Noticing Carth's already intense scowl darkening, Revan added.

"And I don't like to help people who bring it upon themselves..."

Carth frowned for a moment.

"Like that old man?"  
Revan nodded.

"He brought it on himself when he chose to deal with Davik..."

Carth nodded.

"I can see your point... and we don't want to attract too much attention..."

Revan snorted.

"I think Bastila's down here personally. The Sith would've spotted her easily in the upper levels..."

The former Dark Lord did not add the fact that he could sense her somewhere in the lower levels. Carth did not question him.

"Yea, I hope she's alright. She may have crashed into the Undercity..."

The two companions shuddered at the thought.

"Maybe we should check out the cantina..."

Carth suggested. Revan smirked.

"I could use some Tarisian ale..."

Carth chuckled for a moment and followed Revan through the lower levels of the Tarisian cityplanet.


	15. Chapter 15: Tarisian Nightmare

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 15: Tarisian Nightmare

Revan eyed Carth's appearance with barely contained mirth.

"You look like a mutated Sith mixed with an Echani and a Jedi!"

Revan laughed as he eyed the odd combination of armor and robes Carth wore uncomfortably. The Republic soldier glared at his companion.

"If you would have just let me keep my jacket we wouldn't be in this mess would we?"

The former Jedi laughed openly.

"Who is we? I'm just fine in my inconspicuous and plain black robes and cloak!"

Revan laughed as he caught the dark expression Carth sent him.

"I really liked that jacket!"

Carth pouted. Revan coughed suddenly.  
"How?"

The Jedi continued to cough in momentary shock before he shook his head.

"Maybe now they'll let us in the Cantina?"

Revan chanced. Carth shrugged as he eyed his mutated Sith uniform.

"Maybe... or they'll report us to the next patrol for being out of uniform..."

Revan snorted and clapped Carth on the shoulder.

"Lets get something to drink and then find a place to rest."

Carth nodded readily, weary from fighting Vulkars and running through the lower city. As Revan and Carth entered the Cantina, they noticed a stocky man glaring at three Vulkars. Revan elbowed Carth and motioned towards the sight, smirking. Carth shrugged, watching as the short bounty hunter obliterated the three challengers. Revan's eyes followed the man as he walked past, connected for a moment. In that moment, Revan paled slightly. He had caught the recognition in the man's features and shuddered.

_"Shit."_

"Hey leave me alone you chubba face!"

Revan was snapped from his foreboding as he turned to see a Twilek girl screaming at a Rodian Vulkar. Revan and Carth exchanged glances before Carth sighed.

"I suppose you want to ignore this one too?"  
Carth asked. Revan scowled.  
"I have a soft spot for little girls..."  
Revan muttered, preparing to blast the rodian and his companions in their bug faces when the girl suddenly called out loudly.  
"Hey Big Z, I got some bugs that need to be stomped on."

Revan turned to a low growl in the corner of the Cantina and was surprised to see a Wookiee slowly rising from his chair and whining about not being able to finish his meal. The Wookiee roared once to the Vulkars before they ran off calling out threats behind them.  
"Get outta here bug eyes! You're breath smells like Bantha poodoo anyways!"

Carth snickered for a moment before silencing his outburst while Revan gazed curiously at the towering Wookiee and the small, blue skinned Twilek girl. The girl's head suddenly snapped to him and she eyed him warily before grinning and skipping over to them. Revan furrowed a brow, attempting to assess the girl when Carth spoke.

"That took some guts kid, standing up to those Vulkars..."

The Twilek girl smirked proudly and nodded.

"Hey, you're new around here aren't you? I know just about everyone down here... My name's Mission Vao and this big guy here, he's my best friend, Big Z."

Revan raised an eyebrow at that statement. As Carth and the girl continued to talk about the undercity, Revan turned his attention to the Wookiee, who he noted looked like he was going to starve to death.

"Hungry?"

Revan asked, amused. Zalbaar gave the former Dark Lord a dirty look and groaned, rubbing his stomach.

"Don't worry, I'll watch her for you while you eat."

Revan said quietly. Zalbaar eyed Revan warily for a moment before his stomach won over his concern and he roared his approval of Revan's plan. The former Dark Lord smirked over the Wookiee's antics. The Wookiees were one of the few races he respected as a whole.

_"I think I only killed a few dozen of them on Kashyyyk..."_

Revan pondered his own memories when someone calling his alias asked loudly.

"So, Tauryn, what are you and Carth doing here?"

Mission asked loudly. Revan glared at her a moment, rubbing his ears and looking around, noting that Carth was sitting in a dark corner, drinking heavily.

_"What the hell did I miss?"_

"We're..."

Revan eyed Mission warily for a moment before he scanned her aura. She was pure, he noticed and winced slightly when he compared her own innocence to his crimes.

_"Wow..."_

Revan fell into a violent coughing fit, surprised when the girl slapped him on the back.

"You okay there Tauryn?"  
She asked with concern. Revan eyed the girl warily, wondering if she had picked his pocket.

"Fine, thanks Mission."

Mission beamed for a moment before she repeated her previous question.

"Carth and I were looking for a way to get into the Undercity. We're looking for some information on those downed Republic escape pods."

Revan felt for some odd reason that he could trust the girl and followed that instinct.

"Wow... are you looking for that Republic woman too?"

The former Sith Lord stared at Mission, his face a mask of seriousness.  
"Yes."

Revan replied simply. Mission nodded.

"Well I heard from the Beks that the Vulkars have her..."  
Revan raised an eyebrow, making a personal note to kill every single Vulkar he saw in the near future.

"Is there a way into their base?"

Mission nodded, but frowned.

"Yes... but I think that they move her around to keep her hidden."

Revan nodded, knowing he could not get a good lock on Bastila's location.

"But hey, I tell yea what..."

Mission began. The former Jedi turned his attention to Carth, seeing his companion was slightly intoxicated.

"The Vulkars are offering her up as the Swoop Championships grand prize... Maybe you could race for the Beks?"

_"Or maybe I could storm the Vulkar base and kill every last one of them."_

Revan's mind snarled. The former Dark Lord struggled to keep the words in his mouth as he mulled over the girl's plan. It was sound and did not put Bastila in too much danger.

"Do you think they'll... harm her before the race?"

Revan asked. Mission shook her head.

"Nope, there's a bunch of rules that the prizes can't be tainted or broken... I'm sure your friend is fine."

Revan nodded.

"So where are these Hidden Beks?"

Revan asked. Mission explained where the Beks were located and Revan snorted.

"Across from the Cantina? By that snippy woman standing in the corridor?"

Revan chuckled.

"Not very hidden don't you think?"  
Mission giggled for a moment before shaking her head.

"I don't know... Just tell the guard that you're willing to help them and they'll let you speak to Gadon."

Revan thanked Mission and stalked over to Carth.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a lead..."  
Revan muttered to his companion. Carth nodded silently and poured Revan a glass of Tarisian ale.

"Lucky us eh?"

The Republic officer said dejectedly. Revan noticed the depression in the man's demeanor but said nothing, drinking chastely as the Republic officer drowned himself in the potent alcohol. As the two continued to drink, Revan and Carth began exchanging stories of their battles. Revan normally being vague though Carth didn't notice. Carth was soon slipping in an out of consciousness and Revan decided to drop the man off in an apartment they had commandeered in the lower city. The former Sith Lord stalked from the apartment, searching for something to occupy his time. He had heard that the upper levels were hosting a dueling championship though he did not want to draw attention to himself. If Malak were to see a holo of him, Revan knew the entire planet would burn for it. Bounty hunting was also out of the question, Revan knew that it also attracted too much attention and was in his opinion a waste of time. Stalking to the Bek base, Revan exchanged insults with the rude guard before entering and speaking with the Bek leader, Gadon Thek.

Carth awoke to find himself in a bed in their lower city hideout.

"Uhg..."  
The soldier groaned as he grabbed the sides of his head in a futile effort to numb the pain.

"Drink this."  
Revan handed Carth a glass of water which the soldier readily drank and a pill to help with his hangover. After several minutes of groaning, Carth stood and stalked to the refresher. Revan intently eyed the documents he had received from Gadon to get past the Undercity guards. The outfit along with the papers should allow he and Carth to pass unencumbered. The former Dark Lord of the Sith smirked slightly as he recalled all the Sith patrols he had ambushed the night before to get armor for Gadon.

"So what's the plan?"

Carth asked.

"Get your lovely red armor on, we're going to poke around the sewers for the little blue girl."

Carth frowned, wondering how much he had missed in the ten hours he had been drinking and unconscious.

"Bastila is being offered up as the Swoop bike finals grand prize. Since only Swoop gang members can enter the tournament its either the lesser of two evils or a rampage."

Carth's frown deepened.

"What does this have to do with the girl?"

Carth asked. Revan sighed, not liking the idea of the young Twilek girl running around on her own in the Tarisian Undercity.

"The Beks will only help us if we recover a swoop accelerator and we can only do that by sneaking into the Vulkar base. The Vulkars are moving Bastila around and we'll never find her otherwise. Mission can get us past a forcefield down there..."

Carth grunted as he pulled the scarlet Sith armor on.  
"Wonderful."

As Revan and Carth slowly made their way through the lower city, Revan noticed two Black Vulkars arguing with a man about some random debt. Ignoring them, Revan looked past them to a Mandalorian that stood in the shadows nearby. Revan smirked as the Vulkars cowered from the Mandalorian, his Mandalorian blood burning with pride. The Mandalorian caught the smirk and cast one right back, causing Carth to blanch.

"I thought... no hoped they were all wiped out by now..."

Carth muttered bitterly. Revan turned and glared at his masked companion.

"Save your prejudices for someone who cares."

Carth sputtered for a moment then fell silent. The slight to his own people still fresh in his mind, Revan turned from his companion and stalked to the lift guard. After showing the documents, Revan and Carth quickly found themselves in the Tarisian Undercity, all arguments forgotten as two poorly dressed thugs assailed them with threats.

"Get away from me you filthy beggars!"

Revan snarled. Carth stared at the beggars with open pity, preparing to hand over a few spare credits when he found hid hand caught in the vice grip of Revan's.

"Don't give them something they haven't earned..."

Revan hissed. Carth stared at Revan warily for a moment before a young woman's voice cut through the air.

"Go on you two, get out of here!"

The young woman screeched. Revan winced at the shrill voice and turned to the newcomer.

"Sorry about those two, they give the rest of us bad names around here. My name's Shalena..."

Revan completely ignored the girl, instead choosing to silently scan the village while Carth spoke with her.

"Hey Tauryn I think we should speak to Gendar..."

Revan made a dismissive gesture to Carth. At the Republic soldier's glare, Revan leaned closer to Carth and spoke in a low tone only the two of them could hear.

"We don't have time for this, Carth. In the time it takes to help these people, Bastila could be killed."

Carth could not deny the logic, but he felt a deep urge to help the people of the Outcast village.

"How can we just stand by and let this continue..?"

Carth asked quietly. Revan sighed, knowing his newly revived conscience wanted to agree with Carth.

"Can you see the bitterness and despair here Carth? We need to find Mission... but..."

Growling, Revan shook his head.

"Speak to Gendar and this Rukil character, see if you can find any information. If we can help on the way, we will."

Carth seemed satisfied, relieved to see that his seemingly cold-hearted companion had a heart after all.

"I cannot stress this to you enough though, Carth. We can't help every damned refugee and battered orphan we come across. There are bigger things at stake."

Revan shuddered at his own words. That train of thought was what had led him to claiming dominance over the Sith and declaring war on the ailing Republic.

"What could be more important than giving hope to someone who has none?"

Carth questioned, his eyes sweeping over the villagers. He somehow felt a connection to these people and their grief. It seemed to reflect the pain he held deep within himself. Revan seemed to sense this and sighed.

"Go speak with the villagers... let them know we aren't Sith... I'm going to scout the area outside the village and see if I can find Mission. She's supposed to live somewhere down here..."

Carth nodded and quickly followed Shalena to the village leader while Revan made his way to the gate. There a woman was pleading with the guard to unlock the gate for her husband, who was in Revan's opinion foolish enough to see if he could scavenge something from a downed escape pod.

"Open the gate, there isn't much time!"

The man shouted, panting heavily from his mad dash to the village. Revan stared at the man for a moment and shrugged.

"Its on my way, I guess I can help... this time."

Revan smirked as the gate opened and rushed out. A creature like none he had ever seen before roared and charged from a nearby debris field. Revan paled as he scanned the odd creature with the Force, sensing no aura.

_"How did one of the Vong's creatures get here..?"_

Wasting no time, Revan drew his holdout blaster and fired into the creature's skull, killing it instantly. Ignoring the man's thanks, Revan continued into the dimly lit Undercity. Several minutes of walking found Revan near an encampment of Sith troopers. The former Dark Lord watched them and listened patiently as they spoke of a patrol that had been wiped out to the west and of the Rakgouls, the creature he had encountered. Revan shuddered at the thought of the abomination and scanned his surroundings warily, not wanting to fall prey to the menace. A scream was heard and Revan turned to see a swarm of Rakgouls attack the Sith patrol. The former Dark Lord watched as the troopers were torn to shreds and devoured by the mutants.

_"Disgusting..."_

The former Dark Lord watched as an injured trooper tried desperately to inject something into his arm but the struggle was short lived as a Rakgoul leapt on the man and devoured his head, helmet and all. Turning his attention to the distant lights of the village, Revan sighed.

_"This is going to be a long night..."_

Revan waited for nearly an hour before making his way to the trooper's remains. After a short search, Revan discovered the vial the trooper was attempting to inject himself with.

_"Rakgoul serum..."_

The former Sith silently stalked back to the village where he found Carth arguing with a healer.

"Carth, what's going on?"

Revan asked as he walked over to his companion. Carth muttered something under his breath angrily and explained to Revan how the villagers sealed away the members of their village that were infected with the Rakgoul disease and locked them away.

"How many are in there?"

Carth sighed and looked to the healer.

"There were five... but now there are only two..."

Revan handed Carth the vial and explained its purpose. Carth quickly made his way into the caged area and gave the survivors the serum. Revan ignored the thanks and praises, it was all really a waste of time in his mind, and pulled Carth to the side.

"I want you to go back up to the surface, see if you can gather our things from our apartment up there and then come back here."

Carth nodded, wanting to drop the Rakgoul serum off at a healer he had spoken to when he was scouting the planet.

"You're not actually going to sleep down here?"  
Carth asked incredulously. Revan shuddered.  
"I still have to find Mission. Keep in contact on the communicators... but make sure the connection is secure."

Carth nodded and made his way to the Tarisian upper city while Revan sighed and made his way back into the decaying ruins of the undercity. Revan walked for what seemed like hours until he came across a group of Gammorheans with a Wookiee in chains. Revan watched in amusement as the Wookiee broke free of his chains and bit a chunk from one of the Gammorhean's arms. The Gammorheans quickly stunned the Wookiee and began taking him away, until Revan decided to intervene. Activating his azure saber, Revan leapt into the air and landed near the surprised pig-like aliens. The Gammorheans squealed in panic as Revan cut them down effortlessly. The Wookiee had since broken free of his restraints and was also attacking the Gammorhans and within moments they were all one with the Force, as Revan liked to put it.

The Wookiee roared and threw his arms up in the air, obviously enjoying the change in his situation.

"Are you Zalbaar?"

Revan asked, knowing there were only a few Wookiees on Taris and that there was only one that would be in the undercity. The Wookiee roared his acknowledgment and Revan nodded.

"I'm looking for Mission Vao, do you know where she is?"

Zalbaar stared at Revan oddly and nodded, uncertain if his savior knew how to speak his language.

"I can speak five forms of Shyriiwook. Don't worry."

Revan muttered Zalbaar roared happily and motioned for Revan to follow him. Revan followed the Wookiee a short distance to a small and well hidden hovel. At first glance, he noticed that it looked easily defendable. Upon further inspection, Revan found that there were several booby-traps and the dwelling was more elaborate than he had previously thought. Zalbaar motioned for Revan to stay put and checked the dwelling, returning several minutes later with a bowcaster and a worried expression.

_"She's not here. I told her when I was captured to run... There is no telling where she could be..."_

The Wookiee did not add that he was terrified for the girl. Revan nodded, taking in the situation.

"If she is alright, do you think she would go back to the Bek base?"

Zalbaar nodded his head, eyeing Revan for a moment.  
_"Are you a Jedi?"_

Revan shook his head.

"I was once... but it was long ago... I need you to promise me that you will not speak of by abilities."

Zalbaar eyed Revan for a moment.

_"You saved me from a life of servitude. I can only think of one way to repay that debt..."_

Revan frowned.  
"You should know who you swear your debt to before you do..."

Revan began. Zalbaar waited for a moment, staring into Revan's dark eyes.

"I was born a Mandalorian... Taken from them when my parents were killed by a Jedi and trained in the Order. The Mandalorians invaded the Republic after I ascended to a Jedi Knight and I soon found myself fighting my own people..."

Zalbaar gave a mournful roar, apparently he too knew what it was like to be forced to fight his own kind. Revan was silent a moment before continuing.

"I fought the Mandalorians and am in a way responsible for where they are today... I went beyond the Outer Rim after that to see firsthand the suffering the Republic and the Jedi ignored... A suffering that the Mandalorians held at bay from their own worlds. There I severed my ties to the Jedi and the Republic and followed the ways of the Sith, returning with Malak and the Sith fleet I made my war on the Republic..."

Zalbaar stared at Revan strangely for a moment before Revan spoke again.

"My name is Revan Bloodraven... I was known as the Dark Lord Darth Revan for four years of my life and then I was imprisoned within my own mind for two years, forced to be the Jedi's servant. I was freed after those two years to find the galaxy a changed place..."

Zalbaar was motionless as Revan finished his speech.

"There are only two things that drive me now. To keep what I saw beyond the Outer Rim at bay and to find a friend of mine... To keep her safe..."

Zalbaar nodded his head.

_"Then I swear my lifedebt to you, Revan Bloodraven. And I will follow you till I have repaid it with my own life."_

Revan was silent as he gazed at the Wookiee. The seriousness in his expression was what had convinced Zalbaar of Revan's honesty and after hearing this, Zalbaar was all the more anxious to swear his debt.

"I am humbled and honored to accept this debt and I ask you only one favor."

Zalbaar waited for Revan to continue.

"I ask that you keep what I have told you a secret and that you refer to me as Tauryn Katarn. Others are not as understanding as you."

Zalbaar nodded his head. Revan's honesty had given him even more respect for his savior and he was not about to destroy the last shred of honor he could hold onto, his lifedebt.

"We'd better find your little blue friend..."

Revan sighed. Zalbaar agreed readily and the two made their way quickly through the Undercity. As the two approached the Outcast village, Revan tensed. A deep growl in Zalbaar's throat told Revan that the Wookiee had felt it to and the two quickly stood back to back with their blaster and bowcaster ready.

"Hey, you! D-don't make any sudden moves. I- I'm not afraid to use this blaster."

Revan glared at the man, leveling his holdout blaster to the man's head.

"Calm down kid, we've already lost enough men to those damn Rakgouls and I'm not about to lose anymore in a needless firefight. I can't carry all this salvage back on my own."

Revan smirked as he holstered his blaster and eyed the burly man that had spoke.

"You're an Ordo aren't you?"

The former Jedi asked, eyeing the man's serpent tattoo. The Mandalorian seemed surprised for a moment before he grinned wolfishly, flashing his teeth.  
"You carry yourself well, warrior. And you keep good company. The name's Canderous Ordo."

Revan nodded to the man, smirking. For some reason he always felt a bit of camaraderie around other Mandalorians.

_"I must be getting too old."_

"So what brings a Mandalorian to this lovely neighborhood?"

Revan asked as he eyed the Mandalorian's companions, none of whom looked like they could stand up in a good fight. Canderous laughed and Revan wondered if the man could tell he was a Mandalorian as well. Absently, Revan ran his hand across his bicep, feeling the toughened skin of where his own tattoo was cut away and burned off under his tunic.

"I work for Davik, he has us out here searching for anything of value from those Republic pods... but it looks like those damn Vulkars already got to them."

Revan's expression darkened.

"Too bad they didn't stick around, I could use a little target practice."  
Revan muttered. Canderous nodded his approval and suddenly tensed, snapping his head to a distant noise.  
"Shit, get those blasters ready boys. It looks like we've got company!"

Canderous raised his heavy repeating blaster and fired a volley into the distance. With his Force-enhanced vision, Revan could see the silhouettes of at least a dozen Rakgouls charging them. Looking around quickly, Revan spotted a debris pile and shouted to Zalbaar and the others.

"Get to higher ground!"

Canderous was the first to act and moved quickly up the pile of debris. From the top, Revan saw a small orb fly into the charging Rakgouls. A blinding flash of light followed as Canderous laughed manically and fired into the stunned Rakgouls. Revan smirked as he and Zalbaar climbed the debris, covering Canderous' companions as they scrambled their way after them. Two fell victims to the Rakgouls and another had been bitten by the time they had all made it.

Grabbing the infected man, Canderous threw him screaming into the eight Rakgouls that remained. Revan watched as the Mandalorian drew a thermal detonator and tossed it into the center. A massive explosion drowned out the infected man's screams as it killed him and his assailants. Within an instant, Canderous leapt down from the debris and pulled a vibroblade, driving it into the heads of two wounded Rakgouls.

"Not bad..."  
Revan voiced as he leapt from the safety and height advantage of the debris. A quick scan through the Force told Revan that more Rakgouls were on their war. He was unable to sense them, but they seemed to be a hole in the Force. Revan could easily sense the disturbance around the creatures.

"I think we should get moving. That little firefight is probably going to bring a larger number of those beasts down upon us."

Canderous nodded his agreement and turned back to his men.

"Alright lets move out, I can't carry all this salvage back on my own."

The men readily voiced their agreement and quickly took off in the direction of the Outcast village.

"Zalbaar, I'm going to head back to the village and see if I can get a hold of my companion. You should scout this area and see if you can find any sign of Mission. I'm also going to have Carth check with the Beks on his way back down."

Zalbaar roared his approval before taking off into the darkness of the undercity. As Revan approached the Outcast village he saw a small blue figure running to him and sighed.

"Please! You have to help me. Nobody else will help me, even the Beks won't! But I can't just leave him there he's my friend!"

Revan scanned his surroundings for a moment, satisfied that they were safe.

"Mission, calm down. Do you mean Zalbaar?"

Mission nodded quickly.

"Don't worry Mission, I already found him. Got every last one of the piggies too."

Mission wore a shocked expression for a moment before relief flooded her face.

"You're not lying to me are you?"

Revan shook his head.

"He seemed more concerned for your safety... He's out searching for you now. I was just on my way to the village to see if you were at the Bek's base."

Mission scowled for a moment.

"Yes, they wouldn't do anything about it!"

She replied angrily. Revan raised a hand in a placating gesture.

"Don't worry, Zalbaar is fine."

Mission sighed and slumped slightly, panting from her earlier panic and running from the Outcast village.

"Now then Mission. You can call me Tauryn Katarn and I could use your help..."

Mission stared at Revan silently for a moment before she smiled and nodded readily, eager to offer any help she could.


	16. Chapter 16: Wrath

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay. I've been really busy with life and all but I will try to update more now that I have a little free time.

Chapter 16: Wrath

Mission beamed as she walked ahead of Revan. Looking over her shoulder, she giggled.

_"This is so cool!" _**Side note: No way in Hell am I using wizard to stay true to the SW Universe, no way.**

The young Twilek led Revan quickly to her hovel and asked him to make himself at home while she gathered what supplies she needed for their mission. Mission never thought that the Beks would give her an assignment or take her seriously. Leading a stranger that looked like he could be a Republic commando into the Vulkar base was not exactly what she had thought would be her first official assignment. Frowning for a moment, Mission shrugged.

_"I can always talk him into taking me into the base when we get there... there's still the Rancor."_

Mission winced at the thought of the gigantic creature. Looking over her shoulder she silently hopes that her new friend had something besides a holdout blaster and a vibroblade to take out the monster. Revan seated himself on a comfortable looking box and crossed his arms across his chest, leaning against the wall. A quick scan of the area told him that Zalbaar was approaching and that the communication he had sent to Carth had worked, since he sensed the soldier nearby.

"Hey Tau, what are you and your friend... Darth? Looking for?"

Mission asked. Revan chucked at the use of Carth's nickname.

"Well Darth is on his way now. We're looking for one of our shipmates."

Revan silently boiled at the lie. He was never a good liar but he was great at bluffing. Sighing, the former Dark Lord listened to the blue girl hum happily and nodded off to a light rest. Mission returned several minutes later to see her new friend mumbling in his sleep. Frowning, Mission seated herself and pulled up a crate, using it as a makeshift workbench as she adjusted the upgrades on her blaster she and Zalbaar had found before he was captured.

"Kreia..."

Revan muttered quietly, shifting uncomfortably. Mission looked up from her scattered blaster and frowned. She could see a great deal of guilt written on the man's face and wondered who this person was he was dreaming of. After listening to Revan mutter more gibberish and names that meant nothing to her, though she did recognize Yusanis and Malak, Mission returned to her work. A howl from outside told Mission that her friend was back. Jumping to her feet, Mission scurried to the door and flung herself towards the Wookiee, latching onto his abdomen. Zalbaar smiled and growled happily as he embraced Mission in a bearhug.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again Big Z! I was soo worried!"

Mission said loudly. Zalbaar roared his agreement, somber for a moment.

_"I see you have met the one called Tauryn Katarn..."_

Zalbaar said, reasoning that it was not a real lie. Mission nodded and furrowed her brow, immediately noticing her friend's odd behavior.

"What's wrong, Big Z?"

Zalbaar merely growled incoherently and seated himself in the hovel.

"Maybe I should wake him up huh?"

Mission sighed as she glanced at Revan's restless form. Placing a hand on Revan's shoulder, Mission was shocked when she found herself pinned to the wall with two golden eyes glaring at her. Revan blinked for a moment and his eyes cleared to their dark brown.

"Sorry... I'm a little jumpy right now..."

Revan apologized, pulling his forearm from Mission's throat. Mission stared, wide-eyed at him for a moment before she laughed nervously and wrapped her headtails tightly around her neck.

"Hey, no harm done..."

The former Dark Lord turned away and stared at a corner of the room, saying nothing.

_"This time..."_

Revan shuddered. He had been a split second from snapping the girl's neck, his nightmares still fresh in his mind. Mission frowned as she stared at Revan's back.

_"What was with those eyes? Must've just been the lighting.."_

Mission reasoned to herself as she looked down to a flickering flame nearby. Revan cleared his throat and looked over to Zalbaar. The Wookiee was eyeing him curiously and seemed a little guarded.

"A warrior is always on guard... Mine was down for a moment..."  
Revan said quietly so only Zalbaar could hear. The Wookiee nodded once and turned his attention to Mission while Revan flicked the switch on his wrist comm.

"Carth, you there?"

The comm hissed for a moment before Carth answered.

"Hey I thought his name was Darth?"

Mission's voice cut through the room. Revan let out a snort and shook his head.

"Nope, Carth. That was just a joke."

Mission nodded.

"Dammit, what is it?"

Carth hissed. Revan raised an eyebrow.

"Well I was wondering where my backup is..."

Carth snorted.

"I was wondering the same thing. I've been stuck going on some errands from that old man I talked to..."

Revan humphed.

"Any luck?"

Carth made an annoyed sound.

"Pfft! I've spent the last six hours running around for that old man and finding a bunch of ancient book and now they all packed up and left the village gates open. There were Rakgouls all over the lift when I came back from the hideout."

Revan chuckled for a moment.

"What's your position?"

Carth checked his communicator and deciphered his coordinates.

"Three-five point seven-eight."

Revan nodded, knowing that it was near the lift from the undercity.

"Shouldn't be more than an hour's walk. Stick around that village, we'll be there within the hour."

Carth acknowledged and Revan turned his attention to Mission and Zalbaar.

"Ready?"

Mission nodded, still wary of Revan and his response when she tried to wake him. Mission walked ahead of the group, with Zalbaar standing in the center and Revan trailing behind. Revan could hear the two speaking about Zalbaar's lifedebt and was only interrupted from his thoughts when Mission turned and demanded that he take her with him.

"I could always use a good scoundrel to get me into a room."

Revan smirked as Mission beamed. The former Dark Lord and his companions met up an hour later with a very tired and disgruntled looking Carth.

"How's it going, Darth?"

Mission asked, walking happily up to the surly Republic Commander. Carth frowned at the cheery tone and looked past her to Revan.

"Let's move."

Revan stated. Carth agreed readily as did Zalbaar, though Mission pouted slightly. Surprisingly to Revan, Mission managed to avoid the large groups of Rakgouls tearing through the undercity and handled herself rather well when they encountered several Gammorheans. The former Jedi smirked as he watched the girl kill the pig-like creatures.

_"She handles that blaster better than most of the Republic soldiers I've worked with."_

"Well here we are..."

Mission sighed as she kicked a severed arm that was rotting on the floor. Revan stared at the door and then back to Mission.

"There's something you're not telling me..."

Revan stated. Mission flushed slightly.

"Well, ya see... There's a Rancor monster in there. He's not too bright though, I got by him twice! But you gotta watch out. That thing is huge!"

The former Dark Lord scowled at his young companion before he brought his right hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose in thought and annoyance.

"We could always feed it some grenades..."

Carth suggested. Revan nodded his agreement.

"Yes... but there's the matter of getting the damn thing to eat the grenade. You feel like running around in there with a thermal detonator in hand?"

Carth smirked and shook his head.

"No way."

Mission was busy kicking the severed arm with a disgusted look on her face when a datapad fell from a pouch in the sleeve. Curious, Mission lifted the pad and made certain to hold it far from her as she read it. Smiling brightly, Mission tossed the datapad and sifted through the pockets of the severed arm, ignoring the confused looks she received from Carth and Revan.

"Got it!"

Mission beamed as she lifted a small vial. She turned to see Carth staring at her with open disgust and Revan with his head tilted to the side slightly like a confused canine. Smiling knowingly, Mission pulled a grenade from her pack and dumped the contents of the vial on it, making sure to delay the timer. Opening the doors, she tossed the grenade into a small group of corpses that littered the room. The group immediately backed away as the ground shook and the Rancor roared. A sickening crunching noise could be heard as the Rancor devoured its prize along with the corpses that had long since begun to rot. Revan's lip curled in disgust and Carth looked as though he was going to vomit. An explosion, followed by a pained roar was heard before the structure shook once more in a loud rumble and all fell silent.

Peering into the room, Mission giggled and rushed in, leaving a very confused Carth and a surprised Revan behind.

"What just happened?"

Carth asked. Revan shook his head, turning to look at Zalbaar, who shook his head helplessly.

"No idea..."

Passing the Rancor corpse, Revan saw Mission vanish into thin air. Frowning, the former Sith Lord saw the doors to the Vulkar base open for an instant before two pained cries followed by the two dull thuds of two bodies hitting the ground reached his ears. Mission appeared moments later, grinning and with a bloody vibroblade.

"Uhm... good job..."

The former Dark Lord gave Mission a calculative look before shrugging and entering the lift into the Vulkar base. Carth seemed to be disgusted and Zalbaar seemed to be amused. The Vulkar base was crowded with supplies and war droids. Revan was grateful that Zalbaar and Carth chose to guard the lift while he and Mission scouted the base. As the former Dark Lord surveyed a storage room he snorted.

"Looks like Brejik is preparing for a war."

Mission nodded as she fumbled with a cargo cylinder.

"It looks like..."

Mission trailed off as the cylinder opened. Revan waited for a moment, relieved when no alarms sounded.

"That was close!"

Mission exclaimed as she lunged for the contents of the cylinder.

"Want some credits?"

Mission asked with a smirk as she pulled a handful of credit chips from the container. Revan shook his head, knowing he still had access to hundreds of secret accounts he had opened as the Dark Lord.

"Money was never an issue for me..."

_"And never will be!"_

Revan added with a smirk. Mission happily took the remaining credit chips and began looking for a map of the base on a console. The metal clank of a droid's footsteps echoed down the corridor as Mission worked on the console. The young Twilek looked up to Revan and frowned.

"If I try to leave this console... The alarms..."

Revan smirked. This was his opportunity.

"Hey Mission... want to see something cool?"

Mission looked puzzled for a moment.

"Uhm... sure?"

Revan nodded.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone though."

Mission smiled brightly.

"Sure thing!"

The young girl beamed at the prospect of her newest friend trusting her with his secrets. Revan loosened his shoulders and stretched for a moment before he pulled a small metal cylinder from his cloak and smirked at the realization on Mission's face.

"You're a Jedi?"

Revan laughed as he activated the weapon and shot into the corridor, slicing the war droid into scrap in an instant.

"I was a Jedi. There is more to my story but it will have to wait."

Mission nodded as Revan returned to her side. Revan was grateful for once that this was one less person he had to lie to about his identity. Revan activated his comm.

"Carth, do you think you can work your way into the lower city from where you are?"

The comm line was silent for a moment before Carth answered.

"Not a problem, Tauryn."

A roar was heard over the comm.

"Zalbaar I need you to help Mission and I here. Carth I want you to make sure none of the Vulkars get out the front of the base."

Carth acknowledged and Zalbaar roared his approval as the comm line went dead.

"So, what's the story?"

Mission asked as she disconnected her datapad from the console. Revan eyed her approvingly.

"Good job, Mish."

Mission smiled slightly, but her eyes narrowed.

"Come on, I'm not some little kid. Why are you avoiding the subject?"

Revan sighed as he led Mission towards where Zalbaar was meeting them.

"I need your word that you won't speak of this to anyone... except for Zalbaar."

Mission nodded.

"I was born a Mandalorian and recruited at a young age into the Jedi Order..."

Revan paused, waiting for Mission's reaction. The young girl merely shrugged.

"I chose to fight my own people during the Mandalorian wars-"

"That's terrible..."

Mission wailed as she brought her hands over her heart. Revan eyed the girl for a moment.

"It was a matter of duty then. They had to be stopped..."

Revan tried to assure himself more than Mission. In truth he was beginning to wonder if the Council was right all those years ago.

"What happened after that?"

Mission asked warily, Revan could tell she had a general idea of what he was going to say already.

"The Jedi and Republic won and those that followed Revan and Malak went beyond the Outer Rim to search the unknown worlds for other threats to the Republic since no one else would."

Mission was silent.

"We... found things there that are... horrific. There was nothing we could do. We fought as hard as we could. Eventually, it was Revan that told us to return to the Republic. From there, he staged hit and run attacks on this new enemy and was somehow able to keep them at bay."

It was still a mystery to Revan that he was even able to dent the Vong's defenses and by the time he discovered their weakness, droids, he had already lost tens of thousands of men.

"What happened?"

Mission whispered, awed by what she was hearing.

"Revan returned to the Republic with Malak and sought weapons to fight the horrors they found. There was one they already had but couldn't access. The Star Forge. When they returned, the Star Forge listened to Revan's commands and later Malak's. There they planned their war on the Republic... Revan wanted to take control so he could channel their strength against the larger threats beyond the Rim. Malak wanted the Jedi and the Republic to pay for ignoring the problems... It later became Revan's choice to follow this way as well."

Mission frowned slightly, still staring at Revan.

"We all made a pact... that we would do whatever it took to gain control and that included killing innocents and betraying out friends..."

Mission noticed that Revan appeared to be shaken."I joined the Sith and became one of those murderers. Somehow we were blind to all the pain we brought with us from the wars and the Outer Rim... Someone... opened my eyes and I owe her my life for that. I was captured by the Jedi and my memories were removed while a false identity was programmed into my mind-"

Mission gasped.

"The Jedi did that to you? But... ho- Why?"

Revan understood Mission's confusion. He would have never thought the Jedi would resort to such measures.

"Quite simple really... I am Darth Revan."

Mission paled slightly and a tiny frown played on her face. Mission opened and closed her mouth several times Finally, Mission managed to speak.

"So... Darth Revan huh? Heh..."

Revan leaned against the wall and stared at Mission silently.

"So, how do you remember who you are?"

Mission asked in confusion. Revan shrugged as he brushed some imaginary dust from his shoulder.

"Someone who did the mindwipe felt guilty and offered me a second chance. I intend to use that chance..."

_"Even if we all know there are no second chances."_

Mission nodded.

"You trust me with all this?"

She asked quietly. Revan crossed his arms across his chest and stared at Mission for a moment before nodding.

"The question is do you trust me?"

Mission frowned and blinked.

"After all that..?"

Mission smiled brightly.

"Sure, I don't see why you'd have even bothered to tell me if you didn't trust me, so I should return the favor. Right?"  
The former Dark Lord of the Sith shrugged noncommitally.

"Or I could simply kill you if you fail to keep my secret. The Dark Lord of the Sith is not a forgiving person."

Mission smiled at that.

"But you won't."

Revan scowled.

"You don't know that though, you shouldn't trust me."

Mission smiled widely.

"I don't think you'd have accepted a lifedebt from Zalbaar as Tauryn Katarn. And if Big Z accepts you then I know you wouldn't do that!"

Revan's scowl deepened.

"Dammit!"

Shaking his head, Revan eyed Mission's datapad.

"So what did you find?"

Mission growled as she looked down to her datapad.

"They don't have your friend here. But they do have the Swoop accelerator. Its being stored in their garages. We'll have to find the lift and make out way down there."

Revan nodded as Zalbaar approached from the corridor.  
"Zalbaar, Mission knows who I am so you can speak with her freely."

The Wookiee roared an acknowledgment.

"Mission this is very important. No one can know who I am."

Mission grinned happily.

"I won't tell anyone, Revan."

Revan stared calculatively at Mission. The girl was so positive and trusting that it was almost sickening.

"Thank you, Mission."

Revan motioned to Zalbaar.

"Zalbaar I need you to make sure none of those bastards get past us. If any of them get out of here it could bring the whole Sith fleet down on us."

Zalbaar agreed immediately. The way to the Swoop garage of the Vulkar base was soon littered with corpses and droid debris. Revan tore through the Vulkars with ease as Mission watched in silent awe. She had heard stories as everyone had, but to see a Jedi or Sith in action was more than she could have imagined. By the time Revan pried the Swoop accelerator from the dead hands of a Vulkar lieutenant, Carth had commed him once to tell him that several Vulkars had tried to escape.

"Did any get by you?"

Revan asked as he and Mission made their way through the Vulkar base to the lower city.

"Got them all, Tauryn."

Revan nodded.

"Good."

The journey to the Hidden Bek base was silent. Revan smirked inwardly. He had killed every Black Vulkar in the base and the Swoop Gang was likely in a panic, thinking the Sith were coming down on them for their foolishness. Revan and Mission waited in the Bek base for several days while the Beks installed the Swoop accelerator. The Taris Swoop championship approached quickly and Revan waited calmly in the Bek base as Carth and Zalbaar asked around the upper levels for a way off planet.

"Hey Rev."

Mission entered the quarters she shared with the former Sith Lord in the Bek base. Revan nodded to her.

"What's the story?"

Mission laughed.

"The Vulkars are broken. All they have is now riding on this Swoop race. Brejik himself is supposed to be there."

Revan nodded.

"Good."

_"I can kill them all in one sweep."_

Mission argued fervently when Gadon refused to allow her to attend the Swoop Championships. He had used the excuse that only members of the Vulkars or Beks were allowed to attend. As Revan walked into the Swoop Championship's loading bay he caught sight of Bastila being held in a cage with a neural disruptor attached to her neck.

Revan snarled as he glared openly at everyone near him. For some reason, completing the race to win Bastila had lost its original appeal, now the only coherent thought in his mind was to tear each and every person that was a part of this to shreds. Glaring across the race track, Revan caught sight of a dark skinned man. By his appearance, Revan could tell he was the Vulkar's leader, Brejik. Taking a moment to survey his surroundings, Revan used the Force to manipulate any recording devices in the area.

"Brejik!"

The former Sith Lord snarled, his eyes flashing golden as he charged the Black Vulkar leader. The man turned, startled to the angry voice only to see a sapphire beam shoot from a dark figure's hand as screams and shouts filled the air around him.


	17. Chapter 17: Escape

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 17: Escape

Revan barely had time to hide his saber as he sensed Bastila break free of the control of the neural disruptor. Shaking her head, Bastila slowly looked up to see herself surrounded by smoldering corpses. Still shaken from the neural disruptor's hold on her, Bastila did not notice the lightsaber wounds of the corpses as she centered herself and opened her cage. Searching the room shakily, Bastila came towards Brejik's corpse and pulled her lightsaber from his belt, turning to the only person who remained standing in the room.

"If you think you can collect me as a prize you're sorely mistaken!"

She hissed to the blurry figure in her vision. Revan stared at Bastila.

"Bastila?"

The Padawan's bravado fell away as shock and relief played across her face. Squinting, Bastila stared at Revan before she stammered, covering up whatever she had allowed to fall through her Jedi facade.

"I-I don't believe this. You- you're one of the soldiers with the Republic aren't you? Yes, I'm sure of it!"

Revan eyed her appearance and scowled.

"Here."

The former Sith Lord shrugged off his obsidian cloak, careful to hide away his lightsaber and handed it to Bastila. Bastila took the cloak and wrapped it tightly around herself.

"Now then..."

Bastila began as she looked around her.

"What..."

Revan snorted.

"They didn't want to hand you over, so I had to use some persuasion."

Bastila stared at the corpses that littered the Swoop tracks, horrified.

"What? You- You've killed them all!"

Sighing, Revan began walking away.

"If you'll follow me, Princess Padawan. I'm sure Commander Onasi will fill you in on the details."

Bastila seemed to calm slightly at the name.

"Carth Onasi is alive? Perhaps I underestimated you."

Revan smirked at the display.

"Hiding something, Miss Shan?"

Revan reveled in the deep crimson color of Bastila's cheeks.

"Who the devil are you anyways?"

Revan's smirk widened. Bowing, he offered.

"Why I am the Dark Lord of the Sith."

Bastila blanched before Revan laughed openly.

"What?"

He asked as she backed away from him fearfully. Sighing, Revan's eyes narrowed.

"Are you alright?"

Bastila began breathing heavily before she whispered something and fainted. Moving quickly, Revan caught her before she could hit her head on the floor and cause any more damage to her psyche. Revan cursed under his breath as he lifted Bastila into his arms and rushed from the Swoop tracks.

"So this is your friend?"

Mission asked as Revan entered the lower city apartment he and Carth had held up in. He had thought it too risky to take Bastila to the upper levels, and the Beks were not pleased with the trail of corpses Revan had left at the race tracks, though none seemed to make the connection to the wounds and a lightsaber.

"Yes."

Revan snapped, causing Mission to frown.

"Okay, okay, sheesh. Carth and Big Z should be back in an hour or so. They said they have a lead for you. Just remember, I'm going with you."

Revan's lip curved into a half-smile.  
"You're part of the team now, Mission. Why wouldn't I bring you along?"

A moan drew Revan's concerned gaze to Bastila.

"I think she has a concussion and is suffering from the after-effects of the neural disruptor."

Mission looked down at the young woman in concern.

"Do you think she's going to be alright?"

Revan nodded.

"She's strong."

By the time Carth and Zalbaar returned, Bastila had awakened and calmed significantly. Whatever she had allowed to slip in her confused state was adequately covered up by her _act_ as Revan liked to call it.

"I managed to free myself as I recall. All you did was slaughter everyone in sight."

Bastila gave Revan a pointed glare. Rolling his eyes, Revan turned away.

"Come on. The Vulkars have been giving us all trouble since we got here."

Carth snorted.

"Yea but you killed EVERYONE."

Frowning, Revan did not respond.

"So how are we going to get off Taris?"  
All eyes turned to Mission as she spoke. Carth cleared his throat.

"Well... I suppose some good did some out of Tauryn's exploits at the Swoop track. He caught the eye of that Mandalorian that works for Davik and he says he may have a way off planet."

Revan raised an eyebrow and Bastila scowled.

"A Mandalorian? We can't trust a Mandalorian!"

Bastila scoffed. Revan looked insulted for a moment before he covered his slip and remembered where that reasoning was coming from.

_"She must really hate me..."_

"Canderous Ordo. If I'm not mistaken he was a General in that clan before they were wiped out in the battle of Althiri. He wouldn't risk a slight yo his honor by betraying us, especially with a history like that."

Carth growled angrily.

"Like any of those beasts know the meaning of honor."

Mission and Zalbaar exchanged glances and Bastila stared at Revan curiously.

"How do you know so much about Mandalorians?"

Bastila asked, eyes narrowed. Revan's shoulders tensed for an instant before he brushed the comment aside.

"You make it a point to learn the ways of your enemies."

_"And your people."_

Revan added silently as Bastila continued to stare at him suspiciously and with a large amount of anger.

"You're hiding something..."

Bastila hissed, causing Carth to immediately jump to the attack as he pulled his blaster and pointed it at Revan.

"No!"

Bastila quickly used the Force to wretch the blaster quickly form Carth's hands.

"What the Force are you doing Commander!"

Bastila screeched. Carth looked surprised for a moment before he scowled and glared pointedly at Revan.

"You said he was hiding something and He's been acting very peculiar. Especially walking around here with a lightsab-"

Bastila's glare turned from Carth to Revan.

"Give me the lightsaber. You are not a Jedi. The lightsaber is the mark of a Jedi and you are not allowed to carry one, Tauryn."

Revan looked between the two and then to Mission and Zalbaar for support. He couldn't let Bastila see the saber, she would definitely recognize the hilt.

"Well ya see..."

Mission began, drawing Bastila's glare.  
"I kinda... scrapped it the other day."

Revan quickly played along.  
"Yea, she wanted to see if she could figure out how it worked and the damn thing nearly blew us all up."

Carth nodded in acceptance, he had not seen Revan handle the saber for several days now. Bastila looked skeptical, but did not invade Mission's mind to see if she was telling the truth or not. Turning her now curious eyes to Revan she spoke calmly.

"Where did you get the weapon?"

Bastila asked. Revan's jaw clenched as he decided on what he wanted to say.

"I grabbed it on the Spire when the ship was going down. I figured we could use everything we could get our hands on."

Bastila looked thoughtful for a moment before Carth spoke to defend his comrade who he had nearly shot moments before. His guilt getting the better of his suspicion.

"Yea, good thing too or we'd have been still looking for a uniform to get into the Undercity by now."

Revan licked his lips as he leaned against the wall and ran a gloved hand through his spiky auburn hair. Bastila seemed to accept this and reverted to a neutral Jedi facade.

"Now then... Where do we meet this Mandalorian?"

Revan raised an eyebrow.

"We?"

Bastila glared at the former Sith Lord.

"Yes, we. Do you think I would trust the fate of the Republic and the Jedi on a Mandalorian?"

Revan brushed the comment aside, knowing Bastila was trying to bait him.  
"Someone sure has a high opinion of herself."  
Revan muttered.

"Why you! How dare you!"

Carth grinned as he stepped aside and watched the two argue.

"How dare I? This is not the time nor the place for your or Carth's prejudices over Mandalorians. We need this and it is likely our ONLY way off this Force-forsaken rock."

Revan turned to Mission.

"No offence."

Mission shrugged.  
"I guess Taris is a bit of a dump."

Turning back to Bastila, Revan covered his slip.

"I don't like the idea of trusting a Mandalorian mercenary. But I'd much rather deal with him and a gangster than the jawless Sith Lord orbiting this world with a thousand ships. _We_ need to be cautious and you running around flurrying your lightsaber and shouting: **I'm the one you're looking for!** Isn't going to help. You need to lay low, Bastila."

Revan knew how much Bastila hated staying behind and he understood her wariness of him. The guilt at his previous actions were tearing away his resolve and all he wanted to do was rush over to her and hold her tightly to know she was real.

_"It's a luxury. One I can't afford right now and do not deserve."_

Revan could see clearly by her reaction to him that he had scarred her deeply with his betrayal. Slamming his fist into the wall, Revan cursed.   
"Is this as low as I can possibly get?"

Revan shouted to the room of now silent occupants. Bastila stared at the burning passion in the man with sadness and the others looked on with shock and trepidation.

_"He is not the same man, Bastila. It is not fair of you to take it out on him..."_

Bastila tried to calm herself and looked away from Revan.

_"No matter how much he deserves it!"_

Bastila glared back over her shoulder. Revan backed away from the wall, panting heavily and shaking his head.

"No, there's no time. Malak... he isn't patient."

Bastila's eyes shot to Revan. She could feel the man's subconsciousness forcing itself to the surface and she was filled with hope and at the same time dread.

_"Is he remembering?"_

"We need to get off Taris before Malak incinerates the planet."

Mission gasped and Carth scowled.

"He's right."

Carth added, earning Mission's terrified gaze.

"But... The entire planet? Why would he do such a thing?"

Carth's scowl deepened.

"He did it to Telos to prove a single man's loyalty. He'd do it here if it meant winning the war."

Carth added with malice. Revan quickly gained control of his anger and subtly built up his mental shields so Bastila could not sense his thoughts.

"He may just destroy the planet out of spite if he finds out Bastila escaped. And he would destroy it after he captured her because it would be useless to him."

Bastila's eyes narrowed as anger won the internal battle within her.

"How do you know so much about Malak?"

Bastila hissed. Revan snorted.

"You don't join the Republic military without learning a thing or two about your enemies. I asked around with a lot of the men and women that served with Malak and Revan. They say he was the kind of man who would charge impatiently into battle without a second thought. People who are impatient also tend to have explosive tempers and since he is a Sith Lord as well... I'd hate to see whatever Sith Tantrum Malak could throw."

Carth rolled his eyes, though he felt considerably less tense and Bastila smiled sadly.

_"He's so much like he was... But he's not the same man."_

Revan sighed as the argument melted away.

"So... Where are we meeting Canderous?"

Revan asked. Carth scowled.

"Already met him in the upper city Cantina, he wanted to meet you but had be send along the message."

Carth handed Revan a datapad which Revan scowled at.

"That's all huh?"

The former Dark Lord chuckled darkly.

"I suppose life would be boring without Mandalorians or Sith Lords anyways."

Bastila stared between Revan and Carth with narrowed eyes.

"What exactly does this Mandalorian want you to do, Tauryn."

Revan's eyes snapped to Bastila's. For a moment he glared at her and waited for her to correct her mistake, but she wore the perfect mask of arrogance and Jedi indifference.

_"She must be going along with this charade until her Masters tell her what to do."_

Revan shook his head in disgust before glaring back at Bastila.

_"No, this is your fault, she's probably just as mad about it as you are."_

The former Sith Lord failed to argue that he was lying to her about his identity as she was to him, but went along with the charade.

_"At least this way I won't have to deal with Carth's whining as much or blasterfire."_

"Apparently Canderous wants us to break into the Sith base and get the Sith's orbital defense codes so we can run the blockade. A good plan except for one minor detail."

Bastila nodded her agreement.

"Yes, the Sith would surely change the codes if they discovered that their base was attacked..."

Revan smirked.

_"Good girl."_

"Exactly. Luckily... the Sith weren't counting on a droid and an invisible blue girl."

Revan quickly outlined his plan to stealing the Sith's codes which surprisingly both Carth and Bastila agreed with. Mission was ecstatic and excitedly prepared for her mission. Near the Sith base, Revan accessed one of his accounts he held as the Dark Lord and pulled enough credits to purchase the T3 astromech droid Canderous had made for this job.

"Alright Mission, what's the plan, one more time."

Mission grinned widely.  
"I follow T3-M4 and he creates a distraction while I sneak into the governor's office and copy the codes down."

Revan nodded, his eyes scanning the Sith base.

"Good, be careful kid."

Mission scowled for a moment but happily skipped off as she vanished into thin air. Revan mirrored Mission's scowl.

"Sith-spit, there's a Force sensitive in there."

Making certain he was far enough away from Bastila to not attract her attention, Revan slowly allowed his presence in the Force to be known. As he desired, the bald Sith governor came out of the front of the base with a heavily armed squad and looked around the area in alarm.

Bastila's head snapped up from the report she was filling out and she gasped.

"Oh no..."

Darth Malak gazed down upon Taris from the bridge of the Leviathan, significantly paler than normal.

_"It can't be... No, impossible."_

Shaking his head, Malak turned away from the planet and stared at his bridge crew.

_"Revan can't be alive. Even if he was, what would he be doing on this insignificant world..."_

Malak's eyes widened.

_"Bastila."_

Malak crossed his arms tightly across his chest and stared through narrowed eyes at Taris.

"Officer, send for Admiral Karath."

A nearby officer bowed and hurried away.

Bastila turned to Carth and Zalbaar. Both appeared bored as they played Pazaak with each other.

_"I should have told him he was Force sensitive! He's been unconsciously using his powers... Force I hope Malak did not sense that..."_

Bastila knew it was a futile hope, anyone on the planet would have sensed _that._

Revan cursed as he saw the open alarm on the Sith governor's face.

"I overdid it..."

Revan would have laughed had the situation not been so dire. Casting his eyes upward to the familiar and malevolent presence orbiting the planet, Revan winced.

"You summoned me, Lord Malak?"

Admiral Karath asked as he clasped his hands behind his back. Malak eyed Taris for a moment before speaking.  
"The search for Bastila is taking too long. We cannot risk her escaping Taris. Destroy the entire planet."

Admiral Karath's eyes widened.

"Th- The entire planet Lord Malak? But... There are billions of people on Taris... we'd be slaughtering countless innocent civilians... not to mention our own men still on the surface."

Malak's towering form snapped around as he brought his nose to Saul's.

"You're predecessor once made the mistake of questioning my orders. Surely you are not so foolish as to make the same mistake?"

Admiral Karath visibly paled and backed away as he raised his hands in front of him in a placating matter.

"O- of course not Lord Malak. But it will take several hours to position the fleet..."  
Malak turned around, crossing his arms over his chest once more and glaring at the floating world.  
"Then I suggest you begin immediately. You are dismissed, Admiral."

Admiral Karath bowed.

"Yes... Lord Malak."

As the Admiral left the bridge, he leaned against the bulkhead. Memories of his own world flooded his mind. How or why he had ever gotten himself in this mess was a mystery to him. Shaking his head, Admiral Karath squashed the pity he felt for his men and the people of Taris as he began giving the orders to position the fleet for the bombardment.

Darth Malak closed his eyes and scanned Taris with the Force. He could sense Bastila's distorted presence in the Force, though not enough to lock on to her and he could sense dozens of other Force sensitives scouring the undercity for Bastila as he had ordered. Searching deep within the Force, Malak felt something vaguely familiar, though he could not confirm it was who he feared it to be.

_"I will not make the same mistake twice, Revan."_

Malak's mind snarled as he glared through his bridge's viewport.

Bastila's alarm grew when she felt the probe through the Force, Malak sent out.

_"Force, he knows!"_

"Carth, Zalbaar. We need to leave, now."

Carth and Zalbaar both looked up and frowned.

"Wha-"

Bastila shook her head.

"We're going to meet with this Canderous and hopefully Tauryn and Mission will be back shortly."

Carth glared at Bastila in suspicion for a moment before he sighed and collected his gear. Zalbaar quickly gathered his own and Mission's gear along with Revan's. Bastila pulled the hood of Revan's obsidian cloak over her head and followed Carth as he led her to the lowercity Cantina, where Canderous was waiting.

Mission returned safely along with the trash compactor as Revan called it. He had never liked astromech droids and this one in particular seemed to make more noise than the others he had been forced to endure the presence of.

"Where to now?"

Mission asked as she eyed Revan. The former Dark Lord motioned for Mission to follow and led her to the lower city Cantina where they met with Canderous and the others.

"I guess I could drag you all along... make it look like you're an assassination squad or something."

Canderous waved dismissively at the others as he spoke directly to Revan. True to his word, Canderous brought them all directly to the base of Davik's operations. Revan was thoroughly unimpressed with Davik and his operations. It was just a well organized group of thugs that Revan would take pleasure in decimating if he had the time. Davik seemed wary of the large and diverse group and locked them away in his guest wing as he spoke with his pet bounty hunter.

Calo Nord seemed suspicious and was always ready to challenge Canderous, but there was something about the one in the group called Tauryn Katarn that didn't fit. He could have sworn he had seen the man before, when he was filling a contract during the Mandalorian wars, but he was not sure. Narrowing his eyes, Calo listened as Davik talked about things that meant nothing to him. The alarms of the base suddenly sounded and Calo's eyes snapped to the door of Davik's office as a terrified lackey rushed in.

"The Sith, they're bombing the planet!"

Calo shot a single blast into the hysterical alien and followed Davik as they made their way to the Ebon Hawk.

Canderous and Revan glanced at each other as the alarms in Davik's base sounded and the entire facility shook.

"What? I didn't do it."

Canderous smirked as he lifted his repeating blaster.

"Time to have some fun!"

Mission quickly sliced the lock on the door and the group quickly made their way to the Hangars, where T3 managed to slice into the computer systems and unlock the doors. Revan and Canderous lingered as Carth and the others readied the Ebon Hawk.

"What exactly are we waiting for?"

Revan asked as he looked around him warily. Whatever was making the building shake was definitely not something he wanted to have bear down on him. In the back of his mind he felt a deep sickness that was nauseating him. It was as though thousands of voices were screaming into his mind.

"Them."

Canderous snarled as Davik and Calo Nord rushed into the Hangar. Davik stopped in mid sentence of what he was saying to Calo to sneer at Revan and Canderous.

"Well look what we've got here... Thieves in the hangar..."

"I'll take care of them Davik!"

Calo snapped excitedly.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time."

Suddenly, a blasterbolt tore through the hangar and a walkway collapsed onto Davik. Calo leapt clear and looked up angrily.

"Damn those Sith, they'll take this whole hangar down around us!"

Calo glared at Canderous as the Mandalorian laughed. Canderous' laughter died when Calo pulled a Thermal Detonator from his armor and depressed the switch.

"You may have me outnumbered and outgunned... but this Thermal Detonator will blow us all to bits!"

Revan smirked cooly. Calo's mind reeled suddenly with a revelation as he saw that smirk.

_"I know that smirk... but from where..."_

Eyeing Revan for a moment, an explosion ripped through the hangar and Calo barely had time to deactivate the detonator as he screamed and a walkway collapsed on him. Revan felt Bastila's power spike and turned to see her at the landing ramp, holding her left hand out, concentration etched on her features. Looking up, Revan saw debris and remnants of the walkways hovering several yards above him.

"I'd say I saved you this time."

Bastila smirked a smirk similar to Revan's and used the Force to send the debris harmlessly away from the Ebon Hawk. Canderous said nothing, refusing to acknowledge that a Jedi saved his life and Revan smirked for a moment before his mind caught up with their situation. Revan quickly rushed to the Ebon Hawk's ramp and stared out of the cockpit as red turboblaster fire rained down on the Tarisian cityscape. Mission walked into the cockpit and gasped as she saw the scene.

"Wha- Why?"

Mission fainted in her shock, much to Revan and Canderous' relief. Zalbaar quickly caught Mission's falling form and carried her to a bunk ear the rear of the ship.

"Dammit, we've got incoming fighters. Someone needs to get on those gun turrets."

Bastia had already seated herself in the copilot's seat and was frantically working the Ebon Hawk's deflector shields. Revan and Canderous looked at each other and smirked as bloodlust ran through their veins.  
"Lets get some payback. Top or bottom?"

Revan asked. Canderous shrugged and followed Revan as they situated themselves in the gun turrets. The two Mandalorians quickly dispatched the Sith fighter squadron and the Ebon Hawk quickly flew free of the gravity well of Taris and the Sith fleet, jumping to hyperspace. Revan's excitement at the concept of a battle quickly turned to sadness.

"Oh Force, Mission..."

Revan quickly made his way to where Zalbaar was fussing over an unconscious Mission.

_"She'll be alright. She's just in shock..."_

Zalbaar said hopefully. Revan nodded, biting the inside of his cheek and drawing blood. The former Dark Lord allowed the bitter, metallic taste to calm him some and entered the common room of the Ebon Hawk where Carth was already raising hell about what their next move would be.


	18. Chapter 18: Evasion

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 18: Evasion

The former Lord of the Sith, Darth Revan sat on an empty crate in the Ebon Hawk's cargo bay and held his head in his hands as he shuddered.

"The entire planet..."

A report had been broadcast over the holonet that the Sith fleet had reduced Taris to rubble, killing billions of people. The Sith fleet had left immediately after the assault, though only Revan knew where they were going. The former Sith Lord did not know why it bothered him so much. Even when the Mandalorians had been destroying worlds he had not felt such a burning hatred.

_"Its because I am responsible for it..."_

Revan's eyes narrowed.

_"Why did Telos not bother me... or those other worlds I sent Malak to burn..."_

Revan shook his head angrily and stood, stalking to the cockpit.

"What-"

Carth was cut off as Revan reached over the controls and pulled the Ebon Hawk out of hyperspace. Moments later, an annoyed Bastila appeared.

"What the Force do you think you are doing?"

Revan ignored Bastila and Carth as they raised their voices at him. After feeling a hand lay on his shoulder, Revan turned to see Carth looking at him questioningly and Bastila still glaring at him.

"Our trail from Taris is still traceable. If the Sith follow us we're finished and so is the Jedi Civil war."

Bastila's glare deepened as she saw the truth in his words.

"Where shall we go then?"

She snapped, causing Revan to scowl.

"Nar Shadda first. We need some supplies and I know some people there."

Revan could hear Bastila muttering something skeptically under her breath. Carth nodded his agreement.

"I think that's a good idea. It'd be hard to track us from Nar Shadda."

Revan sighed in relief. He could handle Bastila's accusations but not Carth's as well.  
"Then we should stop by Telos."

"Why!"

Bastila snapped.

"We should go to Dantooine immediately and warn the Council of what has happened."

Revan knew she meant him and not Taris. News of Taris was already on the other side of the galaxy and the Jedi were not _that_ isolated in their enclaves.

"Why Telos?"

Carth asked, shaken.

"You and Mission have a lot in common now, Carth."

Revan replied simply, leaving out his wish to speak with Atris. Something was not adding up. Carth sombered and nodded his head while Bastila's scowl softened to a sad expression.

"Yes... Remember though, she is stronger than she appears..."

Bastila whispered. Revan held Bastila's gaze for a moment before he caught the silent message.  
"I'll see if she needs anything."

Revan muttered as he vacated the suddenly tense environment of the cockpit. The trip to Nar Shadda was uneventful. Most of the Ebon Hawk's crew stayed to themselves and T3-M4 seemed to appoint himself mechanic. Bastila slowly rose her eyes to Revan and stared at him curiously for a moment as he exited Mission's room. The crew, aside from T3 and Canderous had tried to offer Mission support, but the only ones she would speak to were Zalbaar and Revan. It confused Bastila to no end how trusting Mission was of Revan. A small, bitter scowl graced Bastila's lips for a moment before she shook her head and frowned.

_"Why can't I get Revan out of my mind?"_

"How is she?"

Bastila heard herself asking as Revan stopped and seated himself wearily across from her.

"She's just lost the only home she's ever known... and everyone she's ever known..."

Revan shook his head, ignoring the dull throb of pain in his chest. Revan brushed a hand over the bruises and grunted.

_"Damn that girl can sure hit hard."_

Revan did not blame Mission for literally screaming at him for what happened and blaming him. It was still too soon after witnessing such an atrocity and her young mind could not grasp it. That Revan blamed himself also helped in the amount of screaming he had subjected himself to and how he had allowed Mission to batter him angrily with her tiny fists until she had collapsed from exhaustion. The former Dark Lord thanked the Force that Zalbaar had sealed off the room and that Davik's paranoia had caused him to soundproof the vessel.

"She needs time."

Revan's voice was barely a whisper as he ran his hand over his face and stared at the silent Bastila.

"I- I have something I need to talk to you about..."

Bastila said softly. The Padawan waited for some sarcastic or spiteful response from the man but none came. Bastila took his silence as an acknowledgment.

"O- on Taris... When you were stealing the codes with Mission... I- I felt something from you..."

Bastila had looked away from Revan as she spoke, not seeing his unusually pale features.

"I think you may be strong in the Force and the Council may want to seek the possibility of training you..."

Revan had stopped listening long ago as Bastila continued to speak of his training.

"Stop."

Revan said suddenly. Bastila frowned and gazed at Revan through concerned blue eyes.

"I felt something too... as if something was looking for me..."

Revan turned his eyes to Bastila

"Why would the Sith be looking for me?"

Revan asked, knowing perfectly well the answer. Bastila flushed for a moment before she spoke in a shaky tone.

"I- I think it was because of your power... It is... very high for one untrained in the Force."

Revan raised an eyebrow.

_"Not a direct lie."_

Revan noticed Bastila staring at him oddly.

"What?"

Bastila looked away for a moment.

"Did you have a dream the other night?"

Revan scowled immediately. He had had a dream and it was of one of the saddest moments in his life, when he had contemplating killing the woman before him on his bridge.

"All I could see was a golden blade striking a crimson one... A Jedi and a Sith fighting... I can hear voices and shouting but its as though all that exists there are those two figures..."

Bastila nodded, still not making eye contact.

"Yes... I had the same dream..."

The Padawan licked her lips for a moment, wondering why it was so hard to lie to this man.

"I think there may be a bond between us... One created by the Force for whatever reason, I do not know."

Revan decided to cover up his anger at himself with sarcasm.

"A bond, really? I don't think I like the idea of you in my dreams."

The anger was immediate, as Bastila flushed scarlet and stood, looming over Revan with her hands on her hips.

"Well I don't like the idea of being connected to _you_ in any way pleasant."

Revan scowled, knowing he had hit a sensitive subject.

_"This bond exists because she saved my life... Why the Force is it so hard to talk to her?"_

Revan snorted.

"Well thanks a lot."

Bastila looked as if she was going to snap something indignant back to him but stopped herself.

_"No, he doesn't know. He doesn't deserve this. He is a different man..."_

The Padawan shook her head.

"I- I'm sorry I should not have snapped at you like that. Its just that with the recent..."

Bastila eyed Revan for a moment.

"Developments... I find it difficult to center myself."

Revan nodded.

"Yea... as Carth said: Witnessing the destruction of an entire world isn't easy."

Bastila nodded, when a sudden feeling of dread entered her.

"You say you felt as if something was... searching for you?"

Revan nodded, tensing suddenly.

"If the Sith sensed a high power on Taris... and one that was untrained... Oh Force."

Revan brought his hand to his head and released a groan.

"It was because of me, not you."

Bastila was taken aback for a moment.

_"Of course it was you, Revan. Malak knew it was you when you slipped up and now all those deaths are directly on your hands. Force why did I ever decide to fight?"_

The former Dark Lord did not know why he had such remorse. Before he had always separated himself from others and all the deaths were calculated and measured and compared to how many could have died.

_"But Taris... Force it was my fault, there was no reason for it to be destroyed."_

Bastila laid a hand on Revan's shoulder, ceasing his internal rants. Revan froze when he felt the hand and trembled slightly at the soft touch.

_"How can she even stand to look at me... let alone comfort me?"_

Revan asked himself.

"There's nothing you could have done... Remember it was Malak that destroyed Taris."

Revan felt his jaw clench.

_"She is doing this because she doesn't think I remember..."_

Revan turned to her.

_"She should hate me with her entire soul but here she is..."_

"We should be nearing Nar Shadda soon... There is enough traffic from there to loose whoever is pursuing us and we can make a stop at the Citadel station over Telos just to make sure. With all the shipments going in and out of there it'd take Malak himself to track us."

Bastila nodded numbly, hoping that Revan had not felt what she had when she had laid her hand on his shoulder. The Padawan shivered slightly.

_"Force, its been so long... He's not even the same man..."_

Revan sighed and stood, walking to the cockpit. Carth appeared to be stressed, but Revan had taken that look to mean Carth was semi-comfortable.

"We should be to Nar Shadda within the hour."

Revan nodded.

"So... are you alright with going to Telos?"

Carth froze for a moment before he nodded slowly.

"It helps remind me of why I fight."

Carth said in a deathly quiet voice. Revan sighed, nodding slowly as he stared at the blue and white pattern of hyperspace. Bastila stood in the corridor, listening to the two men talk and leaned against the bulkhead.

"How's the girl?"

Carth asked. Revan shook his head.

"She's hurt and confused. She's strong though, she'll be alright."

_"I hope..."_

Revan added to himself. Bastila stared at Revan for a moment, her eyes narrowed slightly. Revan had been blocking the bond they shared, though Bastila suspected it had just weakened over time. He could not shield his dreams though and his subconsciousness was something that frightened, yet excited Bastila.

_"In his dreams he is still the man I knew..."_

The Padawan found a small comfort in that knowledge and took a steadying breath before she headed back to her quarters to meditate. Nar Shadda was as Revan remembered. Crowded and noisy. The former Sith Lord was grateful he had convinced Mission to not announce to the others who he was and that the environment had calmed her slightly.

_"This is what Mission knows..."_

The former Dark Lord considered for a moment leaving Mission and Zalbaar on the small moon but shook his head.

"No... that wouldn't be right. I have a responsibility to these people."

Unknown to him, Revan was being trailed by the very girl he was speaking of. Mission frowned as she followed his path, contemplating what she wanted to do. She had thought that he was joking when he had said Malak would destroy Taris, it just didn't register in her mind that it was possible and yet, he had. Part of her still blamed Revan but she knew it was not him who had given the order.

_"I really shouldn't have taken it out on him..."_

Mission's frown deepened as she felt tears sting her eyes.

_"No, I've cried enough."_

Picking up her pace, Mission followed Revan to what looked to be an establishment from the Intergalactic Banking Clan. Revan came out several minutes later with a satchel that Mission figured was filled with Credit chips. The Twilek followed Revan for some time as he visited several merchants and purchased equipment and supplies for the Ebon Hawk.

_"Sheesh, how's he going to explain to Carth and Bastila where he got all that money?"  
_Mission followed Revan for some time before she got bored and deactivated her stealth field.

"Hey Rev."

She smiled slightly. Revan nodded.

"How are you, Mission?"

Revan asked, staring directly into Mission's eyes. Mission nodded her head slowly, chewing on her lip.

"I- I just wanted to say I'm sorry for blowing up back there... You know?"

Revan nodded.

"I know. Just let it all out Mission."

Revan said softly. Mission furrowed her brow for a moment in surprise and thought.

"Wait a minute. You don't think that was your fault do you?"

She asked, feeling even worse about some of the things she had said to him on the Hawk. Revan shook his head.

"No, I know it is my fault."

Mission frowned and lunged for Revan, trapping him in her tight embrace.

"Come on, don't say that..."  
She cried as she held him tighter. Revan rested a hand on Mission's back and sighed.

"I make Malak follow me and I am the one who put him in power... I could have stopped all this."

Mission shook her head, burying it in Revan's chest.  
"No, don't say that. You didn't give the order to dest- to destroy Taris..."

Revan took in a deep breath and released it slowly.

_"I may as well have..."_

"Thanks, Mission."

Mission held Revan tightly for a few more moments before breaking away and staring into his face sadly.

"No, thanks Revan. You put up with all that garbage I said and I hope you still want to be my friend..."

Revan smiled slightly at the hopeful tone.

"Of course I do. Where the hell would I be without you? Stuck in the sewers."

Mission laughed lightly and looked at the towering spires around her.

"Its nice to know there are other places out there like Taris..."

She sighed. Revan nodded, though he wanted to argue several of Taris' more unpleasant attractions.

"The merchants are delivering the supplies to the Ebon Hawk, so in a couple of hours we'll be on our way to the Citadel station..."

Mission shrugged.

"Sounds dull. Wanna go exploring?"

She asked, staring at Revan with wide eyes. Revan scowled.

_"Does every little girl know that trick?"_

Growling, Revan nodded in defeat.

"Fine, but we're going to have to get back to the Hawk in a few hours."

Mission smirked.

"So tell me..."

She began as she led Revan to a slum-filled area of the smuggler's moon.

"How did you explain to Bastila and Carth that you got all that money?"

Revan smirked slightly.

"When our local investigators drilled me on that when I said I'd take care of it. I told them I won a big Pazzak hand a while back and had invested in IG stocks and hid most of the credits in a few unnamed accounts. They seemed to accept it."

Mission shook her head.

"I wonder how the still don't suspect who you are."

Revan frowned.

_"Because they think I am dead..."_

"Couldn't tell you..."  
Revan trailed off, his head snapping to the left and right.

"What is it?"

Mission asked as she rested her hand on her blaster. Revan pulled his holdout blaster and motioned to Mission to follow him.   
"Where'd all these mines come from?"

Mission asked quietly as Revan used the Force to deactivate the triggers on the dozens of mines in the sewer ducts.

"It looks like someone was setting a trap... but for who?"

Revan motioned to Mission to cover him as he rushed into the room. Revan trained his blaster on a charred body and a cursing young woman.  
"Dammit Hanharr!"

The red-haired woman snapped. Mission furrowed her brow as she looked down at the burned body and gasped, causing the young woman to whirl around, a wrist launcher trained on the two newcomers.

"Who's there?"

She asked in a shaky voice. Revan blinked for a moment.  
"You're name wouldn't happen to be Mira... would it?"

Revan asked. The woman scowled and trained her weapon on him, narrowing her emerald eyes.

"Who wants to know?"

She snarled. Revan could tell that she did not have the intent to kill him. She was curious and a bit wary seeing as she was surrounded by mines and a Wookiee that was stalking her. Revan noticed the young woman scanning his face. He waited until he saw recognition flash in her eyes.

"Revan?"

She asked quietly, shocked. Revan nodded his head, ignoring Mission's confused and slightly suspicious gaze.

"You're supposed to be dead..."

Mira whispered. Revan snorted.

"I see you made it out of Malachor V alive..."

Revan began, noticing the wince in the young woman's features.

"It was hard... and half the time I expected you to come looking for me on that hulk... but I got through it."

Revan nodded.

"I'm sorry for abandoning you on that ship."

Mira shook her head.

"No big deal... I made it didn't I?"

She snapped. Revan slowly nodded his head.

"So... what the hell is going on here?"

Revan asked. Mira growled angrily as she leaned over Hanharr's body.

"This big fur bag was trying to catch me by setting all these mines. Problem was he charged in after me and I managed to get by them."

Revan rubbed the base of his chin with his hand.

"Hmm..."

Mira scowled as she looked down at Hanharr's motionless form.

"You think you can help me get him to a Healer?"

The bounty hunter asked. Revan nodded, placing his hand on Hanharr's still form and putting the Wookiee in a healing trance.

"Let's get him out of here before any of his friends show up to finish the job..."

Mira added. On the way to the Healer's, Mira filled Revan in on some of the gaps in her life, telling him how she had come to Nar Shadda as a refugee after the war and eventually found work as a bounty hunter. Mission seemed to like the red-haired Mandalorian and exchanged a few tips with the young woman. Hanharr was left with the medics as Revan explained his predicament to Mira. The bounty hunter shrugged.

"Hey, no bounties still out on you and I don't fill Sith contracts, so you've got nothing to worry about from me."

She replied with a smirk. Revan returned the smirk that all Mandalorians seemed to know. Seeing the interaction between the former Lord of the Sith and the bounty hunter, Mission smiled.

_"Its good to know someone remembers the good things he did..."_

Mira decided to avoid meeting the rest of the Ebon Hawk crew and thanked Revan for what he had endured for her five years before.

"I wonder how many more people we're going to run into that know you..."

Mission said aloud. Revan shrugged and watched as Mira left the docking port.

"Off to Citadel..."

Revan rubbed his goatee as he watched Mira leave. Something felt off about Mira, as though she had developed a strong connection to the Force.

_"Is everyone I know strong in the Force these days?"_

Shaking his head, Revan climbed on board the Ebon Hawk, immediately pummeled with questions from Basitla about who _that woman_ was. Revan allowed himself to relax and smirked at the display.

"Why Bastila, I didn't know you cared."

Revan grinned as Bastila flushed and sputtered for a moment before screaming at him.

"Why must you be so impossibly infuriating!"

Bastila stormed away, leaving Revan in the silence of the Ebon Hawk's cargo hold.

Citadel was as the Endar Spire left it. Carth spoke with the TSF while Bastila used a comm to speak with the Jedi Council on Coruscant. Mission and Zalbaar seemed to entertain themselves at the Entertainment module and Canderous had a contact on Citadel he wanted to speak with. Revan rented a transport and took it to the hidden academy on Telos. Atris and her Handmaidens were surprised by the presence of the former Dark Lord but accepted his presence.

"I need to know exactly what it was that you did to me."  
Revan said firmly. Atris frowned as she furrowed her brow.

"We did a memory wipe and reprogrammed your memories... nothing more. You were in essence the same man even after the mindwipe... We were only able to destory your memories but for some reason your reactions to the scenarios we put you through remained the same..."

Revan's face scrunched up for a moment. He could tell through the Force that Atris was telling the truth.

"Thank you, Master Atris..."

Revan stood and walked from the meditation chamber, leaving a thoroughly confused Jedi Master behind. Speaking briefly with the Handmaidens, Revan quickly retreated back to Citadel where Carth was in an uproar about where he had gone off to.

"Miss me?"

Revan asked, smirking widely. Carth threw his hands up and sighed in exasperation.

"Why is it that everywhere we go, you disappear for hours on end?"

The former Jedi laughed.

"Even I don't know the answer to that, Carth."

Carth rolled his eyes and motioned for Revan to get on board.

"Bastila talked with the High Council. They're sending us to Dantooine in the hopes that it will be more isolated than Coruscant. There could be a lot of eyes watching us there and I think it's a good plan..."

Revan nodded as he and Carth climbed up the landing ramp.

"For once I agree with you..."

Carth slapped Revan on the arm and quickened his pace, sealing the landing ramp and heading to the cockpit.

"Dantooine, here we come..."

Carth mumbled into the Hawk's comm line and brought the Ebon Hawk from the Citadel station.


	19. Chapter 19: Tainted

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 19: Tainted

"Dantooine... it feels like a lifetime since I last set foot on her, but in truth its only been a few months..."

Revan stared at the floating world with a bit of nostalgia.

_"Just looking at that world is calming..."_

The Ebon Hawk landed at the Jedi Enclave shortly after. Mission was jumping around excitedly at the prospect of seeing a new planet. Canderous was standing to the side, scoffing at the girl's excitement, though he was glad to no longer hear her wailing over what happened to Taris.

Upon landing, Bastila has rushed off to speak with the Council while leaving the others to roam the Enclave. Canderous scoffed at being locked in the Enclave and easily broke out, mentioning something to Revan and Carth about finding a place to drink. Mission and Zalbaar stuck around the landing pad, speaking with travelers and trying to con sentients. Carth sent a secured transmission to the Republic Military Council and was ordered to continue escorting Bastila.

Revan chose to rest in his bunk, knowing that soon he would have to stomach the presences of the Jedi Council.

_"Why the hell did I think this place would be calming... With my luck Vrook is around here somewhere..."_

Snorting, Revan rolled over and pulled a blanket over him as he drifted into a restless sleep. Bastila meditated quietly in the sublevel of the Enclave as the four members of the Jedi Council spoke quietly over what they would do about the latest developments.

"He's having another dream..."

Bastila said softly as her eyelids twitched in concentration. The four Jedi Councillors fell silent as they waited for the Padawan to describe what she was seeing. Bastila gasped for a moment in shock.

"It- Its so clear..."

She breathed as she struggled to keep the bond open. Revan dreamed of discovering the first Starmap on Dantooine and convincing Malak to follow him. The former Jedi winced in his sleep. Even unconscious, Revan's mind was aware that it was being watched. Whoever the voyeur was, Revan was not pleased with their presence.

_"So you want to see my memories?"_

Revan snarled into his dream. Bastila's eyes shot open before she could gain a glimpse of what had tortured the man she had felt so strongly for. Gasping for breath, Bastila looked up to see Vrook and Dorak standing over her and speaking in low tones to each other.

"We could have learned something from that!"

Vrook snapped to his fellow Master. Dorak shook his head.

"Whatever is buried in Revan's shattered mind should remain there."

Zhar stepped forward, interjecting between the two Masters.

"We know that the Star Forge exists and is being used to fuel the Sith's war efforts. What we don't know is where it is or the extent of its power. Revan was always careful to capture worlds valuable in resources while Malak seems to burn anything that gets in his path. With Malak's actions... I am beginning to think that the Star Forge is more vital than just being some farfetched myth."

A gruff voice made a noise of agreement.

"We must learn more of this Star Forge..."

Turning his yellow eyes to Bastila, Master Vandar nodded slowly.

"He must be trained in the ways of the Jedi... We will need his strength to defeat Malak."

Bastila was uncertain. Even with the vast power Revan controlled, it was unlikely that this man he had been reduced to would be able to stand a chance against Malak. It would take years of training. Shivering, Bastila nodded numbly.

"Yes, Master."

She replied emotionlessly, though the turmoil within her didn't go unnoticed.

"This is not Revan. Remember that."

Zhar voiced. Vrook snarled angrily.  
"This man is Revan. For all we know, Revan could be hidden within his mind and biding his time to destroy that barrier-"

"Master Vrook!"

Dorak shouted, cutting his fellow Master off, but not before Bastila could hear the last part.

"What do you mean, barrier?"

Bastila asked guardedly. Vandar sighed heavily and Vrook merely glowered at a nearby plant as if it was the plant's fault. Shaking his head, Vrook chose to answer.

"Revan's mind was not destroyed when he was wounded. It was not destroyed at all."

Bastila wore an unreadable expression for a moment before it slipped into a look of confusion.

"But- But I was told-"

Vrook shook his head.

"This is not relevant. What is is that Darth Revan may return. He still exists in Tauryn Katarn's subconsciousness. Those two years we watched him amongst the Republic he seemed to be doing things that he was not trained or programmed for... He was doing things Revan would do..."

Vrook looked intently into his Padawan's face, seeing the confusion turned to anger. Rage.

"WHAT!"

Bastila screamed, causing Vandar to wince slightly. Vrook merely narrowed his eyes.

"Control yourself, Padawan!"

Vrook reprimanded. Bastila tried to steady her ragged breathing and chanted the Jedi Code in her mind.

"We had no choice."

Zhar replied sadly. Bastila's anger had turned swiftly to disgust.  
"Then you killed him?"

Misery and guilt were evident in Zhar's features as Dorak quickly answered.

"No, we imprisoned him. No Jedi is strong enough to break through the bonds Master Atris placed on his mind-"

"Atris?"

Bastila exclaimed, feeling lightheaded.

"You mean to tell me that the Jedi Council not only knowingly condemned a man to death, but carried out his execution and took what remained of his body and tore away at it like rabid Kath Hounds?"

Vrook and Vandar exchanged glances. Waving his hand, Vandar sent Bastila into a deep sleep before her emotions took control of her actions any further.

"This is not good..."

Vrook hissed in a rage.

"We should have killed him. We should never have trained that bastard Mandalorian."

Vrook replied bitterly. Vandar stared at Bastila's unconscious form before he waved his hand.

"Forget these problems young one..."

Seeing this, Vrook gaped.

"What are you doing to my Padawan?"  
The aged Jedi Master shouted. Vandar turned cooly to Vrook and narrowed his eyes.

"What we must do. Already, thousands have been lost from our ranks to this war and the Darkside. I will not lose another. She will not remember this discussion."

Vrook took a moment to calm himself. What Vandar had done was reasonable. He had sensed the turmoil in Bastila and the danger that went along with it.

"None of us must speak of this again..."

Dorak said quietly. The other three Jedi Masters agreed silently.

Revan awoke to find Mission in his quarters and grinning at him. Not liking the devious smirk on the girl's face, Revan furrowed his brow.  
"What?"

He asked gruffly. Mission's grin widened.

"Come on! We get to see the Jedi Council!"

She sang. Revan grimaced.

_"Great..."_

Barely able to pull on his cloak, Revan tiredly allowed Mission to drag him to the Ebon Hawk's landing ramp where Carth was already waiting, immersed in a datapad. Carth looked up from his datapad and frowned.

"Wow, you look like you've been hit with an airspeeder."

The combined stress of his dream, the intruder and the prospect of standing before the Jedi Council and having to feign respect was enough to make the former Sith Lord physically ill.

"I had a rough night..."

Carth grunted for a moment before his eyes scanned Revan's unkempt appearance.

"You know come to think of it Bastila didn't look to well this morning either..."

Bastila had returned to rest on the Ebon Hawk the previous night and had left early that morning, similar in appearance to Revan.

"Do you ever sleep?"

Revan asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. Carth smirked and Mission laughed.

"I guess not... I just sit in the cockpit and act paranoid."

Carth joked, though Revan and Mission merely smiled sheepishly at his comment. Seeing this, Carth scowled.

"Come on, lighten up."

Mission and Revan glanced at each other before bursting into laughter.  
"You're. Telling. Us. That?"

Mission said between laughs. Revan recovered first and let out a long, steadying breath.

_"Showtime."_

"Lets just get this over with. I don't feel like listening to Jedi Masters speak in codes for the rest of this lovely day."

Carth managed to crack from his scowl to a grin at that comment.

"At least I'm not the only one to think like that."

Revan shook his head as he followed Carth with Mission literally running circles around them. The former Dark Lord spotted Zalbaar speaking to a Twilek man near the docks with a worried expression. Shaking it off, Revan followed Carth through the familiar corridors of the Enclave before he was assaulted by an indignant voice.  
"How dare you mock our Order by wearing those!"

The voice snapped. Revan looked down at his Dark Jedi robes and then up to the brown-haired Padawan that was glaring vibroblades at him.  
"Sorry, I've been stuck playing Sith Lord for the past two weeks and haven't had time to go shopping."

Revan snarled as he walked past the Jedi. Seeing the hostility, Carth backed away, while Mission quickly explained what had happened over the past two weeks. Hearing this from the girl, the Jedi, Belaya, frowned.

"I see..."

She said softly.   
"Forgive me... my Master often says I should be more considerate and patient..."

Not listening, Revan nodded, exclaiming that it was a simple misunderstanding and grinning to himself.

_"If that Jedi knew who I was... ha!"_

Feeling his pride grow, Revan strolled down the corridor and nearly walked into Bastila. Bastila stared at him sheepishly.  
"The Council would like to speak with you right away, Tauryn..."

She said softly. Revan immediately felt suspicious by her soft tone. Normally she would have snapped at him, Tauryn Katarn or Revan Bloodraven.

"What's going on?"

Revan asked warily. Bastila merely frowned and motioned for him to follow, not wanting to argue with him over what the Council had decided. Looking back at him as he followed, Bastila sighed. When she had awoken and spoken with the Council they had lectured her on the dangers of the bond with Revan as well as her emotional responses to him. What she knew and he did not though was that the Jedi were not giving him a choice in what was about to be asked.

"Ah, so you are the one who rescued Bastila..."

Zhar began. Bastila stood by, glancing between the Jedi Councillors and Revan.

_"Force, please just agree..."_

The Padawan did not know why she was filled with such dread over what the Council would do if Revan disagreed, but a part of her suspected it would not be something to be proud of. As the Council droned on, Bastila caught sight of Revan's underlying boredom.

"Just spit it out already!"

Revan snapped after Vandar and Zhar repeated themselves. Vrook scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"They would like to train you as a Jedi."

Bastila blurted out, drawing the furious glare of Vrook and the calculative ones of the other Masters.

"Why would they have any interest in training a lowly Republic soldier?"

Revan asked suspiciously, though he was laughing like a madman to himself. Vrook seemed to see right through his facade and was turning as red as a Sith's saber.

"You and Bastila share a bond... It is unusual for this to develop and we would like to make certain that you are not a danger to her... or she to you..."

Zhar tried to placate before Vrook exploded. Revan smirked, causing the Jedi Masters to exchange glances. They knew that smirk.

"Sorry, don't think so... Well..."  
Revan trailed off for a moment, confusing the Jedi Masters. Bastila stared at Revan through narrowed eyes.

"You're lying."

"WHAT! How Dare you!"

Vrook snapped. Revan snorted.

"Jedi lie. What you're really after is the Star Forge Revan and Malak were speaking of."

Vrook's anger deflated for a moment as the truth was dragged to the center of the Council chambers. Bastila shivered at Revan's words and the chilling malice she could feel behind them. It was like looking into the past as he snarled those words.

"If you chose to be honest with me then I _might_ consider being your little slave. But until then I am a Republic soldier and-"

Vrook smirked as he spoke.  
"And you are under the order of the Republic Military Council to assist the Jedi in whatever way possible."

Revan cursed under his breath, seeing the triumphant smirk plastered on Vrook's face.

"Glad to see you're enjoying this, Master Jedi. Grinning like a fool is a definite improvement to looking constipated. You know they have pills to help that."

The Jedi Masters gaped at Revan before Vrook growled angrily and stormed from the Council chambers.

_"I know I am going to pay for that but it was worth it!"_

Revan turned to see Dorak trying to contain his laughter while Zhar and Vandar cracked smiles.

"I think I agree with you, Apprentice Katarn."

Zhar said quietly, not wanting to draw the ire of Vrook's Padawan, which was fully trained on Revan.

"How dare you insult my Master!"  
Bastila exclaimed as she balled her hands into angry fists. Revan cursed.

_"I forgot about that!"_

Bastila's glare deepened as she pointed to Revan menacingly.

"You. Me. Training room."

The Padawan hissed. Revan turned to see the remaining Jedi Masters giving him sympathetic stares. The duel that followed was not one of Revan's proudest. He lost, badly.

_'A vibroblade is not a lightsaber."_

Revan chastised himself. Apparently in the five years since he had dueled against Bastila, she had improved.

_"Sure she ran me through once but we were training and I was sick..."_

Revan sighed, accepting that Bastila had managed to surprise him.

_"I suppose it's a good thing that I lost. It would look a little strange if I beat the Jedi's holo girl."_

Waiting silently as the Healers finished mending his wounds, Revan looked over to see Bastila staring at him with slight concern. Revan grinned widely, causing Bastila to snap out of her slip and glare at him.

"A couple weeks of training, Bastila and we'll have a rematch."

Bastila gave Revan a smirk that sent a chill down his spine.

"We'll see how much of a match you are..."

Bastila replied as she took off down the corridor.

"Hey, wait!"  
Revan shouted, squeezing past a Mon Calamari Healer and after Bastila. Bastila slowed her steps and waited while Revan caught up to her.

"You're pretty good, where'd you learn to fight like that?"

Revan asked. Bastila stared at Revan as if he has said Malak was his father.

"Isn't it obvious?"

She asked as she motioned around her. Revan furrowed his brow.

"Well... I know a few forms of Jedi Martial arts and I could tell that yours was... advanced."

Bastila smiled slightly.

"I've been training myself for the past five years with some of the best Masters in the Order. I took lessons from Master Sunrider herself."

Revan raised an eyebrow to that.

_"That explains it. That damned Sith Holocron could only teach me so much..."_

Revan frowned.

_"And I am a little rusty."_

The former Dark Lord added to secure his pride.

"Wow..."

Revan replied, acting as if he didn't know who Master Sunrider was. Seeing this, Bastila huffed.

"Want to get something to eat? I'm starving."

Bastila stared at Revan silently for a moment before she nodded seriously and followed him to the Enclave's mess hall. Revan spent most of the meal trying to goad Bastila into a conversation, though the Padawan was content to remain distant for the time being. Over the next few weeks, Revan trained intensely, glad to finally be able to freely use the Force. His advancement shocked the Councillors and many of the other Jedi, though Bastila seemed to grow in her skill just as quickly, much to Revan's surprise and pleasure.

_"A little competition never hurt."_

The former Dark Lord avoided using his knowledge in the Ancient Sith ways and their advanced fighting styles as much as possible as he dueled and beat Jedi after Jedi. Bastila tried her best to explain the bond and his _developing _powers to the best of her ability during those few weeks of what Revan began referring to as _Jedi Boot Camp._ Carth had vanished along with Canderous to a nearby settlement to harass settlers or gather information of their surroundings. Revan soon became used to Bastila being there to help him, though he didn't need the help he saw no reason to not take advantage and try to crack through Bastila's arrogant shield. Smiling a genuine smile, Revan recalled the few times he had managed to get Bastila to actually smile and laugh. It was enough to make him not want to leave this peaceful world.

The former Lord of the Sith's peaceful escape came to a crushing halt when he was called before the Council, one month into his training. Surprisingly, Vrook had stopped being openly hostile, choosing instead to look in open disgust at Revan.

"Why have you summoned me, Masters?"

Revan asked, knowing already what was to happen. As he suspected he was led to a training room with a workbench where he was to build a lightsaber. Choosing the azure blade of a Guardian, partly because he had been one before and mostly because the crystal seemed to glow the same color as Bastila's endless eyes. Revan assembled his lightsaber quickly and trudged back to the Jedi Council chambers to receive his final trial.

_"Bet they send me to that damned cave again..."_

Revan was surprised when the Council told him he would be investigating a dark presence in a nearby grove that was corrupting the behavior of the Kath Hounds. Bowing, Revan turned to Bastila, surprised when she gave him an apologetic look.

"You must do this alone, apprentice."

Zhar had said at the gesture. Revan nodded, seeing the concern in Bastila's eyes, though her face hid it well.

_"Guess this isn't going to be a walk in the park..."_

Revan stopped by the Ebon Hawk, snatching his other lightsaber and hiding the familiar hilt away in his black cloak. He had been given the option to have some new robes made and much to the dismay of the Council had chosen simple black robes similar to the ones he had worn on Taris.

_"If only I could find a red crystal..."_

Revan smirked. It would definitely complete the look he was going for. The robes were worn by both Jedi and Sith and with a crimson blade he could blend in with both sides.

_"I'll probably have to before this is all over..."_

Revan briefly allowed his mind to wander to the Vong.

_"Force I hope they are where I left them..."_

Concentrating on the task at hand, Revan quickly told Mission and Zalbaar to find Carth and Canderous before he took off into the Dantooine countryside. The sheer amount of pleas and questions he was bombarded with outside the Enclave was enough to give the Mandalorian Jedi a headache. Ignoring most of the frivolous pleas, Revan made his way towards the only area of the planet that radiated malice and hatred with an intensity that only the Force could back.

The former Dark Lord of the Sith gazed intently at the young woman before him. The anger and bitterness radiating from her would have been suffocating if he had not been there once himself. Seeing past the malice, Revan could send the young woman's despair and sadness that fueled that anger burning within her. Slowly, Revan allowed his presence in the Force to be known. As soon as he had, two cat-like eyes opened and regarded him with indifference. The woman's feline figure rose gracefully from where she had been meditating and she prowled slowly towards Revan.

"I will be you doom!"

The Cathar shouted as she raised a blade of red, burning with the rage of her soul. Revan watched as the young woman raised her hand and sent a wave of the Force towards him. The Dark Lord was unaffected, though he was surprised that one so young as this woman could possess that kind of power. She appeared to be eighteen or nineteen. She wore simple clothing, though not that of a Jedi and her yellow eyes burned with passion.

_"Cathar always were an emotional species."_

The moment Revan had laid eyes on the woman he had known he could not kill her. The pain she was suffering, the anger and the darkness reminded him of himself when he had given up hope. Lunging forward, the Cathar thrust for Revan's chest. With a small effort, Revan pulled the saber he had created hours before and blocked the girl's furious blow. She was good, Revan nodded in approval as the Cathar leapt away from his counter attack and gracefully vaulted from one of the ruins over his head. She was powerful too.

"Why are you attacking me?"

Revan asked in a calm voice. The Cathar ignored the question and continued to strike furiously. Revan sidestepped her slash and rolled, turning his body so that the blade barely grazed his cloak. Stepping forward, Revan feigned a thrust and ducked beneath the Cathar's block, spinning and slashing for her legs. The Cathar was quick and saw this, leaping over his attack before bringing down a furious blow with a howl. Revan blocked each blow, though not with ease and nodded silently in approval.

_"I may have taken her as my apprentice years ago..."_

The former Sith Lord mused as he continued to block the Cathar's attacks for nearly an hour. The Cathar was tiring, but she refused to give in. The young woman's determination brought a feeling of respect to rise in Revan.

"You have every right to be angry."

Revan said after nearly an hour of the only sound being heard being that of their weapons striking against one another.

"You know nothing of me!"  
The Cathar hissed, her eyes burning with anger, though pain and guilt began to reflect within them. Seeing this, Revan backed away from the duel and waited as the Cathar did the same, breathing heavily.

Juhani looked up at her opponent, enraged that he had not even broken a sweat. The man did not condescend or mock her though, he merely gazed at her curiously.

"You are powerful..."

Revan said softly. Juhani tensed at the words, but could find no mockery in them.

"I have given myself to the Darkside! I am more powerful than you could ever imagine!"

Juhani hissed to her opponent. The dark-clad Jedi merely nodded his head, much to Juhani's shock.

"Yes... you are more powerful than I could imagine. But you have not given yourself to the Darkside."

Confused by those words, Juhani merely stared in silence at her opponent as their blades hummed in the deafening silence.

"What is your name?"

Revan asked after standing for several minutes and staring at the young woman.

"I am Juhani and this is my grove. This is my place of Darkness!"

The woman, Juhani, Revan noted, snarled. Revan nodded his head to the answer.

"Well Juhani. My name is Revan."

The woman stared at Revan for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. The Dark Lord did not block the woman's probe of his mind and even threw in a few images of his crimes. Paling, the Cathar backed away.

"Ho- How is this possible?"

Revan sighed, nodding to Juhani's still active weapon.

"I wish to speak with you on even terms, Juhani."

The Cathar was wary, but nodded her head, deactivating her crimson bladed weapon. Revan followed suit and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked towards the young woman.

"Whatever crimes you have committed pale in comparison to a single day of my reign as the Dark Lord. I ask only that you keep my secret and speak with me of yourself..."

Still somewhat shocked, Juhani nodded numbly and spoke shakily.

"I- I was training with my Master Quatra... and I was angry... I- I struck her down in anger..."

The young woman's anger had vanished in her shock, leaving only pain and remorse. Seeing the sheer amount of sadness in this young woman, Revan grimaced.

"I heard a rumor that a Jedi Master had been injured while training with her student..."

Revan began. Juhani looked up with watery eyes and stared intently at the former Sith.

"She was injured but not killed..."

Revan finished. The relief was immediate. Juhani's shoulders slumped and she released a long breath before her cat-like eyes snapped back to Revan's.

"Wha, but how can you be Revan?"

The Jedi looked around the area and spotted a comfortable looking pile of rubble. Seating himself, Revan sighed heavily.

"I was captured and imprisoned within my own mind by the Jedi Council. I was later freed by one of the Jedi and am now working to right the wrongs I have committed... Force there are so many..."

Revan trailed off for a moment and in that moment, Juhani could see the misery in the man.

"I let the Darkside blind me to what I was doing. I let it turn me into a demon..."

Juhani stared at the intensity of Revan's brown eyes.

"Don't let it happen to you, Juhani."

Juhani looked down to the ground for a moment.

"But... how would I return to them?"

She asked, not wanting to see the look in the former Sith Lord's face. Revan closed his eyes for a moment in thought.

"Anger, fear, despair, loathing, sorrow. You must learn to acknowledge those feelings... but not to ignore them or hide them. Make peace with yourself. You have done nothing that cannot be forgiven. Strive to better yourself in the ways of honor and compassion and you can show them that you are free of those dark feelings."

Juhani pondered his words for a moment, seeing the truth hidden in them and nodded thoughtfully.

"The question you should be asking yourself is... do you want to return to the Jedi?"

Juhani looked down and pondered this for a moment.

"Yes..."

Revan nodded his head.

"Do I have your word that you will tell no one of who I am?"

Revan asked. Juhani blinked, then looked at Revan suspiciously.

"What are you planning?"

She asked. Revan smirked.

"Nothing too sinister. Just want to find Malak and hurt him... a lot. The Jedi seem to be my quickest way to that end."

Juhani seemed to agree with Revan's reasoning.

"How can you ask me not to tell them? This is.."

Revan arched an eyebrow.

"But you forget, I was asked by one of the highest members on the Council to not tell the others... "

The Cathar sighed, nodding her head.

"I give you my work, Revan. That I will keep your secret."

Revan nodded, satisfied. It was rare for a Cathar to break his or her word and Revan felt that this woman would not betray his trust.

"Thank you, Juhani."

Juhani bowed her head before she suddenly looked at Revan oddly.

"Yes?"

The former Dark Lord asked. Juhani smiled slightly.

"What should I call you? I don't think calling you Revan would be... tactful..."

Revan laughed at that.

"Call me Tauryn Katarn... if you can stomach it. I hate this lying and sneaking around... but it is necessary."

Revan allowed Juhani to see the seriousness in his eyes.

"They can't know who I am... none of them."

Juhani nodded.

"You have my word I will not tell them, Revan."

Juhani spoke with Revan for a few more minutes before she headed back to the Enclave. On the way back, Revan stopped for a moment to appreciate the beauty of Dantooine, allowing himself to relax in the warm glow of the planet's sun. The comm on his wrist disturbed him frm his peace.

"Yes?"

Revan asked, annoyed.

"Tauryn, its Carth. Canderous and I are at the following coordinates. We could use your help here-"

"Who the hell is we!"

Canderous' voice barked in the background. Carth sighed heavily.

"We tracked down some of the Mandalorian raiders that have been harassing the locals. Canderous wants to have a fight and I can't say I don't agree with him."

Revan furrowed his brow. If Canderous found Mandalorians he wanted to kill then they must be pretty pathetic.

"Be right there."

Growling angrily, Revan pulled his lightsaber and rushed towards the coordinates.


	20. Chapter 20: Confessions

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 20: Confessions

The raiders Canderous and Carth had encountered were not what Revan had thought they would be. When he had heard rumors that Mandalorian raiders were harassing the Dantooine countryside, he had scoffed at the very thought. Seeing the sad examples of his own race before him brought a realization to Revan and to Canderous. The Mandalorian Clans were dead. These Mandalorians were not harassing the people of Dantooine to goad the Jedi into fighting them. They were not trying to conquer the planet. These Mandalorians were nothing more than thugs, scum in Revan and Canderous' eyes.

The former Dark Lord had felt an anger slowly building within him since crashing on Taris. It had come close to consuming him when he had found Bastila at the swoop tracks. Now that anger had drained away to something less. Envy. Revan walked amongst the Jedi, men and women he had tried to murder three years before. He had seen the Jedi as more of a problem than a solution, but as he walked amongst them and saw their flaws and human or alien qualities, he was beginning to remember the people who had taken him in as an orphan. He was beginning to remember the sadness in his Master Kreia when she had left him to fight and how he had found her, years later.

The Mandalorian raiders fell before Revan, Canderous and Carth easily and in their wake, the two Mandalorians and the Republic officer began to piece together what was actually going on on Dantooine. The Mandalorians had allied with Duros raiders and were living off of the settlers. Bullying farmers and merchants for scraps.

"This is what my people are reduced to..."

Canderous said softly to himself, though Revan had heard him. Using information and datapads they had taken from the different groups of Mandalorians, the three warriors made their way to where the Mandalorian leader, Sherruk, was encamped.

"War does that to a people..."

Revan replied just as softly. Canderous' head snapped to his companion and his eyes narrowed. Turning his head to his other companion, Canderous sneered.

_"Guess Republic boy didn't hear me..."_

Turning back to Revan, Canderous stared at the Jedi thoughtfully.

_"No human can hear that well... unless..."_

Canderous walked over to Revan and ripped the right sleeve of the former Sith Lord's cloak and tunic to see a patch of tough, scarred skin. On the end of that patch, Canderous saw the small red and black remains of a tattoo.

"What the hell?"

Revan said loudly, drawing Carth's attention. Seeing the display, Carth narrowed his eyes as Canderous merely stared at the mark on Revan's right bicep thoughtfully. Revan's questions died on his lips as he looked down to the remains of his Clan tattoo that had been cut from his arm and burned away. Pulling the sleeve up slightly, Revan grumbled a string of curses and took off towards Sherruk's encampment. Carth followed, looking over his shoulder at Canderous as the Mandalorian stood where he had when he had seen the mark on Revan's arm.

_"That mark..."_

Canderous' mind wandered to stories he had heard from a few survivors of Mandalore's flagship. How he had tortured Revan and how Revan had been a Bloodraven. The Mandalorian General had dismissed the stories, knowing that no Mandalorian had been born Force sensitive.

_"It can't be..."_

Canderous' mind wandered to the edges of the scar on Revan's arm. The prominent symbol of the Bloodravens that all Mandalorians knew. Shaking his head, Canderous followed Revan and Carth's trail at a much slower pace as he pondered the possibilities.

"You fought in the Mandalorian wars... what battles did you fight in? We may have faced each other in battle..."

Canderous said to Carth. Carth slowed his pace and looked back tot he Mandalorian with a solemn expression.

"I try to forget my battles... I don't like reliving the horrors of war..."

Canderous raised an eyebrow at that.

"The horrors of war..?"

The Mandalorian questioned condescendingly. Carth scowled and turned from the conversation while Revan looked back at his companions.

"Enough."

The former Dark Lord interjected. Canderous' gray eyes turned to Revan.

"What about you?"

Canderous said, baiting Revan. Revan turned from Canderous and began walking again.

"All of the ones worth remembering."  
Revan replied cryptically, at least to someone who wasn't a Mandalorian. Canderous nodded his head thoughtfully.

"I as well..."

Bored with the long trek to the Mandalorian encampment, Revan decided a conversation with his surly companions was an improvement to his own thoughts.

"So... tell me about your past battles."

Revan asked Canderous. Canderous smirked proudly.

"There were many... Your Jedi Revan gave us great honor in battle."

The mention of his name caused Revan's shoulders to tense slightly, though one would have to look for it to see it. Canderous' smirk widened as a knowing glint shone in his eyes.

"Honor? There is no honor in slaughtering innocents."

Carth muttered bitterly. Not wanting to relive his past battles, Carth quickened his apce and left the two Mandalorians to speak to each other. Seeing this, Revan slowed his pace to further the distance and turned to Canderous.

"What Clan?"

Canderous asked, nodding to Revan's arm.

"Bloodraven."

Revan replied. Canderous nodded.

"That's what I thought."

Canderous and Revan walked in silence for a few moments before the former Mandalorian General spoke again.

"You're supposed to be dead... must be really hard being surrounded by so many enemies and not letting your presence be known."

Canderous glared at Revan disapprovingly.

"All is fair in love and war."

Revan replied. Hearing this, Canderous' glare lost much of its intensity.

"Who else knows?"

Revan sighed heavily.

"All but Carth and Bastila... though Bastila was there when I fell..."

Canderous nodded, knowing that regardless of the warrior's skill, one could not always see betrayal.

"Why the charade? Why not kill them all?"

Revan pondered this for a moment before answering honestly.

"They are no longer my enemies... There is more glory to be gained working with them than against them..."

Revan responded, leaving out the part about wanting to protect Bastila and right the wrongs he had done. Hearing his own thoughts, Revan sneered.

_"Right the wrongs? Yes of course... but I bow to no Jedi."_

Revan's sneer turned to a frown.

_"Well... maybe one Jedi."_

Chuckling at his own train of thoughts and the image of Bastila glaring at him, Revan turned to Canderous.

"This must not become common knowledge..."

Revan stated firmly. Canderous looked thoughtful for a moment before he smirked.

"Just cut me in on some of the action and my lips are sealed."  
Knowing that Canderous meant killing and not money, Revan nodded once.

"When we are away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers we will speak."  
Revan said, placating Canderous' curiosity at what he considered a pleasant surprise. It wasn't every day that a Mandalorian got to share war stories with the greatest warrior in recent history.

"Later then."

Canderous and Revan soon caught up to Carth and silently made their way to Sherruk's camp. Canderous killed Sherruk with a single shot as Carth killed several of the Duros with his well placed shots. Revan merely watched the battle curiously. These Mandalorians did not fight well. In truth, they fought terribly. Turning his eyes to Canderous' the two Mandalorians shook their heads before Revan pulled his saber from his cloak and finished off the two remaining Mandalorians. Carth searched the encampment and discovered a large amount of looted belongings.

"We should comm the Enclave and give them these coordinates. They may be able to return these to their rightful owners."

Revan nodded while Canderous merely rolled his eyes and stalked over to Sherruk's corpse.

"Here's something he won't need anymore..."

Canderous pulled a lightsaber from Sherruk's armor and tossed it to Revan. Revan easily caught the weapon and depressed the switch, seeing a crimson blade shoot forth.

"Hmmm..."

Carth raised an eyebrow at the sight of Revan with a crimson saber. His mind vaguely made the connection of how much like a Sith Tauryn Katarn looked, but he shook the thought quickly.

"Canderous, go scout the area, see if they have any patrols out."

Canderous nodded and was gone in an instant. Turning to Carth, Revan motioned to a nearby hilltop and looted a sniper rifle from one of the Duros. Carth and Revan waited silently as they watched the encampment. After several hours, Canderous returned with a smug grin to inform the two that he had dealt with all the remaining weaklings.

"Lets get back to the Enclave then..."

Revan muttered as he followed Canderous and Carth. Looking over his shoulder, Carth frowned at Revan's slow pace. Turning to Canderous, he noticed the Mandalorian either did not notice or didn't care. Shrugging to himself, Carth quickened his pace and arrived before the two Mandalorians.

"Where the Hell have you guys been?"

Mission asked as Revan and Canderous trudged up the Ebon Hawk's ramp.

"You'd think since we've been here a month that the Jedi would give us our own rooms..."

Revan grumbled. Mission frowned at the dismissal and turned to Canderous for an answer. The Mandalorian narrowed his eyes and growled at the Twilek, startling her. Mission quickly rushed from the room saying something about seeing what Zalbaar was up to.

"So... Care to tell me what it was like?"

Revan and Canderous glared silently at Carth, though Revan knew Carth's gaze was locked on Canderous.

"What what was like?"

Canderous glowered. Carth merely turned his head away as he spoke.

"Killing your own people."

"Those sad excuses for warriors were not my people!"

Canderous shouted. Carth stared at Canderous for a moment before nodding once and heading back to the cockpit.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen..."

Revan sighed. Canderous nodded his agreement before heading to a cargo cylinder and pulling a bottle of Tarisian ale. The Mandalorian offered Revan the bottle, though Revan shook his head.

"No, I need to keep a clear mind right now..."

Canderous nodded and resigned himself to his own quarters to drink the night away. Bastila appeared several hours later to find Revan trying to meditate in the cargo hold.

"Am I disturbing you?"

The Padawan asked. Revan opened his eyes slowly and shook his head.

"Not at all. So what's the news on Catgirl?"

Bastila scowled at the nickname for Juhani but answered stoically.

"Juhani..."

Bastila stressed the name.

"Is speaking with her Master Quatra at the moment. The Council has decided that she can continue her training... that was a good thing you did for her... I- The Council has no idea how you managed to bring out such a change in her... she is so at peace..."

Bastila trailed off for a moment, letting the unasked question hang in the air. Revan released a long, steadying breath and stood slowly.

"What do they want now?"

Bastila smiled slightly at the tired tone in the Jedi before her.

"They want to make you a Padawan... and I believe there is a mission waiting for you."

Revan smirked for a moment.

"I suppose there is a Mission waiting for me somewhere around here... but she'll have to find someone else to play Pazzak with right now."

Bastila laughed softly at the joke and heard an indignant.

"Hey!"

Screamed from somewhere within the Ebon Hawk.

"Better run..."

Bastila smirked as Revan groaned and jumped to his feet in time to have Mission barge in and slap him across the face.

"That is not funny!"

Mission screamed. Bastila fought to control her laughter as Mission turned angrily towards her and glared.

"No. It's. Not. Mission."

Bastila said between laughs. Scowling, Mission grabbed Revan's cloak and pulled him from the room.

"You and I are going to have a nice long talk, pal."

Bastila continued to fight off her laughter at the sight of Revan being dragged away by the small girl. The image of the most powerful man in the galaxy being dragged away by a fourteen year old Twilek girl was enough to make even Canderous laugh. Bastila's laughter died at that thought as she cast a sideways glance at the slightly drunk and laughing Canderous.

_"But that is not Revan..."_

Sighing miserably, Bastila left the Ebon Hawk and proceeded to a meditation chamber, intent on removing that thought from her mind.

_"Why do I keep thinking about him? He's dead..."_

Bastila closed her eyes as she felt pain clench her heart.

"That's enough, Bastila..."

She said firmly to herself. Taking a long, steadying breath, the Padawan continued to the meditation chamber, unaware of the two catlike eyes that watched her intently. Juhani frowned at the turmoil she sensed within Bastila. Whatever was eating away at Bastila must have been terrible. Frowning, the Cathar turned her attention to the Ebon Hawk. Resolving herself, Juhani slowly walked up the ramp to be assaulted by indignant screaming and laughing. Canderous spotted the intruder and all thoughts of mirth and intoxication were forgotten as the Mandalorian stood and glared at the Cathar.

"What are you doing here?"

Canderous barked. Juhani felt her anger rising at the sight of the Mandalorian.

"I am here to speak with Tauryn Katarn."

Canderous narrowed his eyes but nodded once.

"Follow the screams."

Canderous laughed at Juhani's expression and continued to the cargo hold for another bottle of Tarisian ale. The Mandalorian found Carth there and the two began drinking and speaking of the Mandalorian wars, which surprisingly, Carth was in the mood to speak about. Juhani ignored the two drunken warriors and made her way to the crew quarters. Upon entering, all screaming stopped.

"Who-"

"Its alright, Mission."

Revan said as he rubbed his sore cheek. Juhani stared at the two for a moment, silent.

"I made a joke about her name..."

Mission's face flushed dark blue with her anger.

"Yea well what the hell does Revan mean huh?"  
The Twilek's eyes widened as she clamped her hands over her mouth.

"This could be a good lesson, Juhani. Anger can cloud one's JUDGEMENT."

Revan said pointedly to Mission.

"Its alright, she knows..."

Revan explained to both woman. Mission nodded sheepishly and Juhani merely smiled.

"So..."

The former Dark Lord began.

"What's the situation?"

Revan asked. Juhani allowed her smile to grow slightly.

"My Master, Quatra will recover fully... And the Council has decided to send me on a mission."

Mission's eyes narrowed towards Revan, but returned to their normal carefree state when Revan did not comment.

"That's great..."

Juhani nodded numbly, and Revan could tell there was something bothering her.

"Mission, do you think we could have some privacy."

Mission smirked deviously.

"Alright, I'll leave you two alone!"

Revan released a steadying breath and pinched the bridge of his nose as the Twilek happily skipped away.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Revan asked after a moment of silence.

"Not here..."

Juhani said quietly. Knowing it had to have something to do with his identity, Revan nodded and followed the Cathar to a remote area of the Enclave.

"So what do you wish to speak to me about?"

Revan asked as he seated himself on a small boulder. Juhani took a moment to admire the garden before she spoke.

"The Council has decided to make me a Knight."

Revan raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Hrn."

Juhani sighed, shaking her head.

"I do not feel I am ready... that I deserve to be a Knight... There... there is so much more I need to learn... so much more they can teach me."

Revan's eyebrow raised further.

_"Humility? In a Jedi? Wow..."_

The former Dark Lord was shocked at the admission, though he did not know Juhani, he had noticed that many Senior Padawans and younger Jedi had an arrogance streak about as bad as Malak's bridge crew's mortality rate.

"Some things can only be learned through experience..."

Revan said quietly. Juhani nodded.

"Yes... but it all seems so soon."

Revan narrowed his eyes at that thought. He had been Knighted at a young age as well. The former Dark Lord recalled the Council arguing over Knighting him and frowned.

"I never thought that... I guess it's a good thing you do..."

Revan muttered under his breath. Juhani tensed slightly at the former Sith's words as a long silence fell between the two Jedi.

"Why did you fall?"

Juhani blurted out. The Cathar's eyes widened slightly at her own words but she remained passive as she stared at Revan. The former Sith Lord shifted slightly and looked up towards the darkening horizon.

"I had to..."

Revan sighed as he stood and looked at the emerging stars.

"Someday... I may know why... but..."

The former Dark Lord's brow furrowed.

"I didn't know I fell... until I returned to the Republic... I suppose realizing I fell and falling where two different things..."

Juhani silently nodded as she stared intently into Revan's confused features.

"I began using the Darkside of the Force during the Mandalorian wars... and I began harboring my anger then... It helped me deal with what I saw..."

Juhani opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came.

"There is... so much power in the Darkside... so much that it frightens you... blinds you to what you are doing..."

Revan's eyes glazed as he stared at one of Dantooine's satellites.

"When you've killed as many people as I have..."

The former Sith Lord turned his eyes to Juhani's.

"You stop thinking of them as people. It is a means to an end... Whatever end that is... I don't know anymore."

Revan stood from his rock and stretched wearily as Juhani remained silent.

"I used to think it was because there was always something more vital... more important to spend resources on... but in the end it all breaks down to you. When you die, you have to answer for what you've done. I was a fool then... and in many ways I still am. I saw the Darkside and I embraced it because I saw power... I saw the ability to do what I wanted without answering to anyone... But I have to answer for what I've done... I have to..."

The former Dark Lord trailed off as he stared at a distant star.

"I wish that mindwipe had been more effective... I shouldn't be here."

Juhani narrowed her eyes at the thought.

"Where should you be, Revan?"

Juhani asked softly. Revan briefly considered all the things he had lost and all that he had sacrificed. All the murders he had committed and all the lives he had saved. Of all the atrocities he had committed, only one pulled at his numb heart.

_"I betrayed her... like Malak betrayed me... like I have all who once called themselves my friends... Force, what ever happened to Ian or Kreia..."_

Revan's eyes gleamed slightly as he shuddered.

"I should be in the deepest circles of hell."

Juhani frowned at that.

"But you're not. You are here, now. You have a second chanc-"

"This second chance was not my choice!"

Revan snapped angrily.

"Where do you think the galaxy would be if Malak had not destroyed my power over the Sith? I would likely be burning Coruscant and murdering whatever would remain of the Jedi Order. I wouldn't have changed. I was forced into this..."

Revan ran his hand over his face and sighed.

"I wouldn't have changed... I shouldn't have. This isn't right. The lies, the deceit. Its just another mask, another layer of betrayal that will bring more pain than the first..."

Revan scowled mentally at himself.

"I've done nothing but what was in my own agenda since I was brought to the Order...That carried through to my reign as the Dark Lord and it still holds true now. I am using the Jedi, Juhani. I am using them to get to who I want."

_"Bastila and Malak..."_

The former Knight clenched his hands into angry fists.

"I can't believe myself sometimes. Its disgusting. All I do is use those around me... there is no honor in that..."

Juhani gazed towards Revan with concern.

"Why are you telling me this, then?"  
Juhani's words snapped Revan from his rant.

"What do you think I should do?"

Juhani furrowed her brow.

"What have you ever done?"

Revan scowled darkly.

"What I thought was right."

Juhani nodded.

"But thoughts can become twisted. Do not do what you think is right... but what you know is right."

Revan crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby tree.

"What if you don't know what is right? What if you need to make the decision... and there is nothing to base it on?"

Juhani was silent in her thoughts for a moment before she spoke slowly.

"Then... perhaps it would be best to consider doing what you are willing to live with."

The former Dark Lord shook his head.

"There is the problem. Each time you make that concession... the gap between morality and logic thins, eventually it goes to numbers. Lose a thousand men in an assault or bomb the enemy position and kill a hundred civilians."

Juhani's eyes widened slightly at the analogy.

"I see you've faced this scenario before..."

The Cathar said softly. Revan's scowl was her answer.

"Soldiers... Warriors are trained to face death but civilians are not. Who is the enemy?"

Revan snorted as he rolled his eyes.

"That's easy, yourself."

Juhani nodded.

"And the battle is which action you will take. What can you live with? What can you change? Who's fault are those deaths?"

Revan shook his head as he pulled himself from the wall and dropped his arms to his sides.

"I don't deal in what ifs. Its numbers, Juhani. A thousand die or nine hundred live."

Juhani sighed heavily.

"Then the choice is left to you, though none should bear the weight of that decision."

Revan smiled bitterly.

"What should be and what is often do not resemble one another."

The two Jedi spoke long into the night, though little progress was made. Revan retired to the Ebon Hawk and spent a restless sleep dreaming of the ancient tombs on Dantooine while Juhani returned to her quarters and pondered what she had learned of Revan and his decision. She found, much to her dread that she would have made many of the same decisions he had.

_"That is the danger we face each day, Juhani."_

Revan's warning still burned clear in her mind the next morning when the Knight made her way to the Council chambers to be briefed on her first mission.


	21. Chapter 21: Ruins

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 21: Ruins

Wearily, Revan rose from his bunk and trudged to the refresher. After a long, cool shower, Revan returned to his quarters and dressed in his obsidian Jedi robes. Eyeing his appearance for a moment, Revan nodded once and made his way to the Council chambers. Bastila had already been waiting and was speaking with the Councillors as Revan entered.

The former Dark Lord of the Sith tuned out most of what the Council was saying. Congratulations, cautions and whatnot, all things Revan really did not care for. He already knew where they were asking him to go. After feigning interest for nearly an hour, something caught Revan's attention.

"Who did you send to investigate these ruins?"

Revan asked warily, narrowing his eyes. The Councillors looked at each other before they turned their attention back to Revan and Zhar answered.

"Knight Nemo was dispatched two days ago to investigate the ruins and failed to return... we fear the worst."

Revan closed his eyes for a moment. He knew Nemo. The man was old and fairly unskilled for his age but competent and kind. He held more compassion within him than the entire Jedi Council. Scowling darkly, Revan's eyes snapped open.

"I will leave immediately..."

Revan turned to leave, but was stopped by Zhar's voice.

"It would be unwise to so alone... Padawan Shan and Commander Onasi will accompany you."

Revan's shoulders tensed for a moment before he nodded his head once.

_"I hope that damned droid doesn't recognize me without my armor..."_

Revan waited outside the Council chambers, knowing that the Council was likely cautioning Bastila about what he might discover within the ruins and what the implications could be if he discovered his true identity. The entire situation made the former Sith Lord want to laugh and at the same time scream in rage.

"I feel like a damned first year Padawan."

Revan grumbled as he crossed his arms tightly over his chest. Shouting drew Revan's attention as he saw a middle aged man push his way past a sentry and rudely storm into the Council chambers demanding something be done about his son's disappearance. Revan smirked slightly at the irritation written on Vrook's face as the ageing Jedi Master pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.

"Perhaps I may be of some assistance."

Revan spoke from the doorway, drawing everyone's attention. The man, Alan Matale narrowed his eyes at the dark figure standing at the entrance of the Council chambers. Eyeing Revan for a moment, Alan nodded his head once in approval.

"You look like you may be able to solve my problem. I demand that you go at once and free my son from those Sandral fools."

Revan raised an eyebrow.

"I will return your son to you..."

Revan said, loud enough for everyone to hear before he stalked closer to Alan.

"In what condition is entirely dependant on what level of respect you show me."

Alan gasped before he glared hatefully towards Revan. Revan laughed heartily and shook his head.

"Find Carth and meet me at the ruins, Princess. I'll be back with Shen within the hour."

Alan's anger vanished at that promise and he nodded, whispering to Revan.

"Bring my son to me and I will make certain your time was not wasted."

Revan's eyebrow rose once more.

"I have enough money, just make certain you watch the way you speak to others."

Alan looked indignant for a moment before he rolled his eyes and waved Revan away dismissively. Seeing this, Vrook's glower turned to a neutral expression. As close as the aged Master ever got to smirking and the other Councillors allowed the beads of sweat to roll down their foreheads.

Revan left without another word, making a mental note to cause Alan Matale as much grief as he could. Footsteps slowed Revan's retreat as he turned to see Bastila approaching rapidly.

"That was not a wise thing you said to Mister Matale."

Revan shook his head, turning and quickening his pace. The former Sith Lord stopped at a nearby corridor and looked back to Bastila.  
"Coming? Better make sure I don't kill anyone because after the way that man spoke to me..."

Revan shook his fist angrily towards the Council chambers and smirked.

"I need some fresh air, what do you say, Princess?"

Bastila wore a confused expression, trying to contemplate the random meaning of Revan's speech before she shook her head and glared at him.

"Do not call me that!"

The Padawan snapped. Revan's smirk widened.

"I'm sorry, Princess Padawan."

Bastila's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as she placed her hands on her hips and huffed.

"Why do you insist on being so childish all the time?"

Bastila screamed, causing Revan to look at her, offended.

"I do not act like a child you spoiled brat!"

Too angry to do anything else, Bastila slapped Revan across his face and rushed past him, stopping in the same manner he had before and turning back at him, glaring.

"Well are you coming or not because I am not about to let a childish man like you give the Jedi Order a bad name."

Revan stood with his mouth hanging slightly open as he rubbed his cheek.

"Yea..."  
Revan replied softly as Bastila turned from him and stalked through the Enclave. Revan licked his lips and pulled his hand away from his sore cheek.

_"I suppose she's been holding that one in for five years now..."_

Feeling like the lowest form of life in the galaxy at his own train of thoughts, Revan followed Bastila silently, allowing her to cast her anger into the Force with no further fuel to her anger.

_"She has every right to be angry with me... Force I shouldn't even be here right now."_

Revan silently cursed Atris and the _second chance_ she had given him. If he had known it would hurt so much to not be able to hold Bastila and tell her what she meant, being reduced to distant banter and mission briefings. Shaking his head, Revan cast his eyes downward.

"_This is my time in hell... I don't deserve her and this is what I do deserve..."_

The former Sith Lord allowed his eyes to fall on the beautiful young woman walking ahead of him.

_"I deserve to suffer..."_

Closing his eyes to rid himself of her image, Revan felt his eyes burn slightly.

_"All that glory and power I held is gone. All the money means nothing... My best friend is now my worst enemy and the woman I loved... Force did I even love her if I could betray her so carelessly? She hated me, despises everything I ever stood for and is forced to endure my presence and live that pain because of my own foolishness."_

Ashamed, Revan cleared his mind of his own desires. Only two things mattered and he would concentrate on those.

_"Protect Bastila and fix your mistake. Destroy the Sith."_

Releasing a long breath, Revan quickened his pace and spoke softly to Bastila.

"I'm sorry if I upset you before, Bastila. I never wanted to hurt you..."

Bastila stopped, her shoulders tense though they shook slightly.

"I shouldn't have struck you, Tauryn. It was not... fair of me."

Revan shook his head.

"It was, I deserve far worse..."

Bastila turned to Revan, seeing an unreadable expression on his features as he sighed and gazed beyond the horizon.

"If you need anyone to listen... I shouldn't slight you, you've done nothing to deserve that."

Bastila narrowed her eyes as she contemplated his words. She was angry, yes. She was heartbroken and she was feeling guilty as well. Revan or not, what she did was uncalled for.

"Words do not hurt you unless you allow them to."

Bastila said softly. Revan tensed as he heard his own words repeated on her lips.

"Why does it bother you?"

Revan asked as he fought not to remember the many intimate discussions he and Bastila had shared years before. He already knew the answers to all the question he would ask her but to hear her soft and cultured voice speak it was enough to make him forget the rage and guilt that burned deep within him. Or in the very least, make it bearable.

"My- When I first came to the Order I was not used to the rather spartan lifestyle of the Jedi. My father was not a rich man... but he doted on me. He gave me anything I could ever want. Love, a family... Force I miss him sometimes."

Bastila's azure eyes held a distant look before they slowly focused on Revan's.

"All the things he gave me never mattered. It was that it was he than gave me them... I was mocked by many of the other children... They often said I was spoiled or that I thought I was too good to be around them."

Bastila's eyes gleamed for a moment before her Jedi control covered the slip of emotion.

"Each time I heard that I was reminded that I wasn't with my father and that I would never see him again... It was so hard then... And it just stayed with me."

Bastila gazed intently into Revan's eyes before she looked away.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Revan shook his head.

"No, I think you needed to. I won't mock you, Bastila. I'm sorry that I crossed my bounds milady."

Revan bowed slightly and stood, looking in the direction of the Sandral estate.

"If you never need someone to listen... I won't make fun of you, Bastila."

Bastila nodded, following Revan's gaze.

"I know... Force knows I do."

Revan allowed the words to sink in and scowled mentally.

_"Of course I wouldn't if that was what the Jedi made me into. The perfect little slave."_

Revan's train of thoughts was interrupted when he felt Bastila place her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Work calls, Padawan Katarn."

Bastila smiled sheepishly as she said this.

_"If this man is anything like Revan..."_

Revan's mental scowl reached his face.

"Hey! Don't start that with me. I don't like all those titles."

The former Sith winced slightly. He had killed people for not calling him _Lord_ Revan before. Bastila laughed softly before she grinned devilishly.

"I know!"

Before Revan could retort, Bastila took off with Force-enhanced speed towards the Sandral estate. Shaking his head, Revan's eyes suddenly fell on a body, surrounded by a small group of Kath Hounds and other scavengers.  
"Bastila!"

Revan shouted, causing the Padawan to stop her retreat. Furrowing her brow, Bastila looked back at the distant speck, seeing Revan motion to something. Following his extended arm, Bastila felt her brow rise in surprise as her eyes fell on a corpse, surrounded by creatures. Using the Force to frighten the beasts, Bastila moved in to examine the mangled body. Revan arrive moments later and knelt by the battered corpse.

Revan pulled a small datapad from the body and examined it quietly.

"Cassus Sandral?"

Bastila frowned as she examined the young man's mauled body.

"I see no evidence of foul play here..."

The Padawan said slowly as she lifted a tattered piece of armor to get a better view of the wounds. Revan held his hand over Cassus' head and sealed what remained of the boy's eyes.

"Since we're on our way..."

Revan nodded towards the Sandral estate and pulled his cloak off, covering Cassus' body.

"I have no intention of leaving this body to rot."

Bastila nodded as Revan handed her the datapad and lifted Cassus' body.

The trip to the Sandral estate was uneventful as the two Jedi stood by, watching Nurik Sandral examine the body of his son.

"Kath Hounds..?"

The old man said, as if it were the last thing he had thought possible. Seeing this, Revan and Bastila exchanged a glance.

"I was so sure the Matales were responsible..."

The dark skinned man said more to himself than to the Jedi.

"He did not have many possessions on him... This is all we found."

Bastila said softly, handing the boy's journal to his father. Nurik took the datapad and nodded his thanks to the Jedi.

"I- I thank you for what you've done... now please, just leave me to my grief."

Bastila looked to Revan for a moment, not knowing what to say. They were under orders to investigate the disappearance of Shen Matale and they could not do that if they were not given the chance to question the main suspect.

"Go ahead Bastila. I would like to have a moment to speak with Mister Sandral."

Bastila nodded and walked outside while Revan turned to Nurik.

"Could I possibly have a moment of your time, sir?"

Revan asked as he clasped his hands behind his back and stood with his feet a shoulder length apart. Seeing the military stance, Nurik frowned.

"I suppose it is the least I could do for what you've done."  
Revan bowed his head once before he looked to an opening door to see a young woman walk in. The woman looked at her father and then to the body on the floor before gasping and rushing to her brother's side.

"Rahasia!"

Nurik tried to comfort his daughter though the young woman ignored the gesture, weeping over her lost brother. Seeing that nothing was going to get finished, Revan left the family in peace and spoke quietly to Bastila away from the audio receptors of the nearby droid sentry.

"Cassus' body was found on Matale ground..."

Bastila said thoughtfully as she stared at a distant beast sailing overhead.

"They had nothing to do with Cassus' death. I sensed no malice from Alan, only anger."

Bastila raised an eyebrow to that.

"With the way that man was carrying on I am surprised you had time to read his thoughts."

Revan smirked slightly.

"I purposely made him angry so his thoughts would be easier to read. Anger has a way of stripping away the layers of a person."

Bastila nodded slowly as she thought over her companion's words. Seeing a far away look in Bastila's eyes, Revan frowned.

"Something wrong?"

Revan asked in concern. Bastila snapped from her thoughts and looked away, a faint pink reaching her cheeks.

"I- no. You.. Its just that what you said reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago..."

Knowing she meant him, Revan did not press the issue, instead choosing to nod and take in Dantooine's serene beauty. The moment of peace was lost when Revan sensed distress in the Force. Turning back to the Sandral estate, Revan furrowed his brow as he waited. Moments later, the young woman he had seen grieving over Cassus appeared, quickly wiping her swollen eyes and bowing to the Jedi.

"Master Jedi I- I wanted to thank you for bringing my brother home."

Bastila frowned.

"No thanks is necessary. We were just doing our duty."

Revan's eyes had narrowed since the young woman, Rahasia had begun speaking.

"That is not the only reason you were here, is it?"  
Bastila's frown deepened as she turned to Revan. Revan's head was turned, a small glare on his face as he looked beyond the estate's grounds.

"Bastila why don't you speak with Miss Sandral while I report our latest findings."

Confused momentarily, Bastila looked in the direction Revan had and stretched out with the Force, sensing the approach of an agitated and nearly enraged aura.

"Of course."

Revan quickly took off in the direction of Alan Matale's approach to delay him while Bastila spoke to Rahasia, surprised at the young woman's openness and slightly fearful for the safety of Shen Matale after hearing of what Rahasia's father had done.

Alan Matale stopped when a dark figure stood in his way.

"Why do you think-"  
Alan's words were cut off as Revan sent the two battle droids accompanying the man flying away with the Force, leaving Alan alone with the former Dark Lord.

Bastila quickly made her way through the Sandral estate, easily finding the room Shen was sealed away in. After a brief explanation, Bastila found herself speaking with Rahasia once more, trying to convince the young woman to leave for her own safety. After several minutes of persuasion, Bastila was several hundred meters from the estate with the young couple, watching their reunion with a bit of sadness.

_"The first time I saw Revan after his fall what did I do? Threatened him?"_

Bastila sighed and looked to the ground. A warning through the Force caused Bastila to look up, seeing a rather pale Alan Matale shouting to his son with Revan following at a leisurely pace. The father and son argued slightly at the presence of Rahasia before a warning glare from Revan silenced Alan. Alan was preparing to leave with his son when the doors to the Sandral estate opened and Nurik stepped out, followed by several sentry droids.

"So much for my plan."

Revan grumbled angrily as he motioned to Bastila to protect Shen, Alan and Rahasia. Revan approached Nurik, using the Force to disable his escort and remove his weapon before he grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and drug him off. Seeing this, Rahasia turned to Bastila with a concerned expression.

"He isn't going to hurt my father is he?"

Rahasia asked warily. Bastila was expressionless as she stared at Rahasia and then back to Alan Matale.

"Is he?"

Bastila asked pointedly. Alan was speaking lowly to his son, nodding when Bastila's voice reached him.

"The young man over there said he would only hurt someone if they earned his ire."

Alan said shakily. Bastila frowned looking back to Revan as he spoke to Nurik rather forcefully keeping the man's struggles at bay. After several minutes the man calmed and actually listened to what Revan was saying. Revan nodded, giving and receiving a bow from the man before returning to the others with Nurik in two.

"Alan... I think we should all go inside and speak about this..."

Alan nodded quickly, heading over to Nurik and leaving a speechless son and two young women behind.

"What-"

Shen said with a confused frown as Rahasia gave a nearly identical expression. Revan merely sighed.

"My heart bleeds. Bastila, our work is done and no one is filing charges today."

Bastila narrowed her eyes, mouthing _later_ to Revan before she politely said goodbye to Shen and Rahasia.

Revan commed Carth, asking the Republic soldier to intercept them on their way to the tombs and bring another cloak to replace the one Revan had covered Cassus with.

"So..."

Bastila hissed as she and Revan were well away from the Sandral estate.

"What exactly did you say to those two men to get them to agree to their children being together."

Revan smiled slightly, slowing his pace.

"I told Alan that Nurik had just lost his son and that if he didn't watch what he said he would lose his too. I told Nurik that he had lost his own son but would gain a son-in-law if he listened to his daughter. On top of that I added a little aggressive negotiation and there you have it."

Bastila was speechless for a moment before the last part of Revan's speech struck her.

"Aggressive negotiations? You should really be more mindful of how you handle negotiations Tauryn."

Revan's smile turned to a smirk.

"It worked out, didn't it?"

Sighing, Bastila relented and walked alongside Revan as they made their way to the ancient ruins that Knight Nemo had disappeared in.


	22. Chapter 22: A Family Affair

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 22: A Family Affair

Revan stumbled from the dark tomb that housed the remnant Starmap, dragging behind him the battered body of the Jedi Knight Nemo. The former Dark Lord of the Sith praised his luck, knowing that in the company he was in, the computer recognizing him for who he was would not be a good thing. Rubbing the scorch mark on his cloak, Revan shook his head as he looked back to see Bastila and Carth, their expressions unreadable. Revan sighed as he knew exactly where their thoughts were leading them.

Bastila stood shakily against the doorway to the ancient ruined temple as she looked up to see Revan kneeling over the body of Nemo. Pressing her lips together tightly, Bastila turned her eyes back to the direction of the Starmap and closed them as a wave of nausea overwhelmed her.

_"This... This is where Revan's path of betrayal began..."_

Even after so many years, she could still feel the presence of Darth Malak and Darth Revan etched forever in that temple. Shuddering, Bastila let out a long, steadying breath before she looked towards Carth. The Republic Commander seemed to be emotionless, though she could tell by the turmoil surrounding him and the penetrating glare he directed at Revan that he was suspecting exactly what she was fearing.

"If this is where Revan and Malak began their fall..."

Carth muttered so only Bastila could hear, or so he thought.

"Is it such a good idea to have someone so untrained near its influence?"

Revan felt his eyebrow twitch as he heard Carth's statement. A deep sigh emanated from Bastila as she shook her head in response.

"Even I am having difficulty dealing with what I sensed in there... I doubt any more training would be effective or time efficient."

Carth seemed to fall silent and nodded slowly as he looked back to Revan. The former Dark Lord was hunched over Nemo's corpse, inspecting the man's corpse.

"It looks like those droids got him... I can't see any other signs of injury."

At this statement, Carth and Bastila both rose their eyebrows in interest.

"What else could have possibly killed a Jedi Knight?"

Bastila asked in a slightly snide tone. Revan shook his head as he gazed down at Nemo's corpse and shook his head.

"Its just natural for me I guess. There could have been a Dark Jedi or anything there and its not wise to not search for clues as to how one of your allies died."

Bastila closed her mouth, nodding her agreement as the small party returned to the Jedi Enclave. Revan made a beeline for the Ebon Hawk, not even glancing at the argument developing between Mission and a pale yellow Twilek outside the ship. The former Dark Lord sealed himself in his quarters and did a series of pushups and crunches before forcing himself into an uneasy rest.

Outside, the argument between Mission and the Twilek, Lena was getting out of hand. After Mission threatening the older Twilek, the older woman sighed and gave Mission a sympathetic look before vanishing into the Jedi Enclave. Nearby, Bastila was also speaking with a Twilek woman, though this one she knew. The woman she spoke to was one that her mother and father had hired to help take care of her when she was little. Bastila's happiness at seeing the woman quickly vanished with the news of her mother's illness. Thanking the woman, Bastila made her way to the Council chambers to update the Council on what she, Revan and Carth had discovered within the ancient ruins. Carth made himself comfortable in the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk, throwing a blanket over himself and taking a nap, not wanting to share a room with Canderous.

Canderous was sleeping silently in his bunk while Revan's sleep was slightly less silent and a lot less peaceful. The millions of deaths Revan had been directly responsible for came back to haunt him. Each time it was either Malak, or Arren or even Yusanis accusing him. Cringing in his sleep, Revan shuddered and opened his eyes to escape the nightmares. The former Dark Lord was surprised to see that it was morning.

"Must've slept longer than I thought..."

A snort drew Revan's attention to Canderous. The Mandalorian was leaning against the bulkhead with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'll say. I didn't think a Mandalorian could sleep that long without being ill."

Smirking, Canderous pushed himself off the wall and stalked away. Revan rubbed his tired face before trudging to the refresher and preparing himself for the day.

The Council had spent most of the previous night going through the archives for any information on the Star Forge but their efforts proved as Revan predicted fruitless. The former Sith knew that since he and Malak had gone through the archives years before for that information that there was little to nothing that held any reference to the true scope of the Starmaps and the Star Forge's true power.

As he had expected, the Council had decided to investigate the Star Forge, confident that it was the strength behind Malak and the Sith. At this Revan had to contain his laughter.

_"When will they learn that the Sith are not the Darkside made flesh. The Sith are merely the Darkside's tool. The Darkside would always be a threat, even if all the Sith Lords and their apprentices were destroyed and their knowledge lost to time. The Darkside would always remain and would always come back to haunt those fools."_

Revan was surprised when the Council announced that Juhani would be accompanying he and his crew on the search for the Star Forge. The former Dark Lord agreed readily to the Jedi's plan and after a day of preparing was standing in the Ebon Hawk's common area with the rest of the crew. Juhani remained silent as she stared at Revan intently.

"There are four worlds we will need to search for the Starmaps. Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan and Korriban. I suggest we visit them in that order."

Mission and Bastila seemed anxious at the mention of Tatooine, something that did not escape Revan's notice. Zalbaar seemed agitated at the mention of his homeworld as well.

"Why that order? Wouldn't it be more time efficient to go to-"

Revan silenced Carth with a raised hand.

"Firstly, Korriban is the center of the Sith's power and I would prefer to visit that hellhole last."

None of the crew argued that point.  
"Second, the Sith have a presence on Manaan and I would like to stay below their radar as long as possible."

Carth nodded his agreement at that.

"Kashyyyk does not have a Sith presence and that world along with Tatooine are too remote for us to attract too much attention... that is unless someone is looking."

Everyone in agreement for their own reasons, the Ebon Hawk jumped into hyperspace on its way to Tatooine. On the trip to Tatooine Revan learned that Mission had discovered her brother was likely on the desert world. Revan was wary at first, but agreed to put some time aside to find the Twilek's older brother.   
A day into the trip, Revan noticed that Bastila seemed unusually withdrawn. Seeking answers, Revan managed to corner Bastila in the bridge when Carth was asleep and was shocked to learn that her mother was on Tatooine.

_"Some coincidence. Mission's brother and now Bastila's mother."_

The former Dark Lord felt a bit of concern at the news of Bastila's mother's condition. Even though she tried to hide it, Revan could see that something akin to guilt was eating away at Bastila.

_"I remember she rarely spoke of her mother... when she did it was never anything nice."_

Frowning, Revan left Bastila in peace, knowing that his presence would only weight more heavily on her conscience. The rest of the trip to Tatooine was spent conversing with Canderous and Juhani over his past battles and sparring. Despite the lack of the Force, Revan found Canderous a great sparring partner and with Bastila occupied with her thoughts of her mother, Revan found that Juhani held promise as a dueling partner.

After nearly a week of avoiding Sith space and hyperspace travel, the Ebon Hawk dropped from hyperspace into the Tatooine system late in the evening. The Ebon Hawk touched down in the only spaceport on the desert world, Anchorhead, and after settling a docking fee the crew decided that waiting until morning to explore would be the best option.

Weary from the flight and his last sparring match with Canderous, Revan collapsed into his bunk and fell into an uneasy rest. The proximity to the Tatooine Starmap brought a series of visions and nightmares to Revan that the former Dark Lord barely slept through. The next morning, Revan awoke to see Bastila in his room staring at him intently.

"You saw it, didn't you?"

Revan nodded, wiping the sheen of sweat from his face as he pulled himself from his bunk. Bastila flushed slightly, turning away when she noticed Revan was only clad in a pair of shorts. Ignoring his modesty, Revan stood and stalked to the refresher, cleaning himself as he spoke to Bastila.

"It looked like this Starmap was in a cave of some kind, there were ruins nearby."

Bastila nodded, keeping her eyes downcast as she tried not to eye Revan. Revan stuck his head from the refresher, frowning when Bastila did not reply verbally. Seeing the scarlet flush of her cheeks and the way she tried not to look at him, Revan became aware of his state of dress and chuckled dryly.

"I thought Jedi were supposed to have self control!"

Revan smirked as Bastila's flushed cheeks darkened.

"Enough of this!"

Bastila snapped, throwing her arms up in the air.  
"Be quick about this, I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

Revan's smirk vanished as he nodded, a serious expression on his face. The former Dark Lord took a moment before he spoke.

"Are you going to try to find her?"

Revan asked. Knowing who he meant, Bastila sighed heavily.

"I- I don't know. We are on an important mission but... It would be... nice to see my family once more."

Revan narrowed his eyes for a moment in thought.  
"We'll have time."

The Jedi said softly, Bastila looked skeptical but nodded and left Revan to finish his morning routine. The former Dark Lord of the Sith stared at his reflection in the mirror as he brushed the stubble that had collected on his face.

_"Besides... I've been here before and know exactly where it is..."_

After finishing, Revan made his way to the common room. After a lengthy explanation to Carth it was decided that Revan, Canderous, Bastila and Mission would seek out the Starmap while Carth and Juhani stayed behind with Zalbaar and T-3 to guard the Ebon Hawk. Not wanting to deal with all the sand, Juhani agreed before settling into a light meditation. Carth reluctantly agreed, seeing the wisdom in keeping the ship's pilot nearby.

As soon as they had left the Ebon Hawk, Canderous took off towards the Cantina while Mission whined about looking for her brother. Having enough of it, Revan asked Mission if Lena had told her where her brother was.

"Well, last thing I knew Griff was working for Czerka corp."

The Twilek answered. Revan sighed heavily.

_"Great, Czerka corp."_

Bastila had been extremely silent, something Revan suspected had to do with her parents. The Czerka officer had been little help at first, but Revan had managed to persuade the business woman that finding Griff would be in Czerka's interests. Needless to say it took a great effort with the Force to convince the woman. Mission seemed horrified about her brother's predicament.

"Sandpeople! We can't just leave him there:

The Twilek girl turned her pleading eyes to Revan. Revan nodded his consent before speaking further with the Czerka officer. The officer explained to Revan that only hunters sponsored by Czerka or their own employees were allowed outside of Anchorhead. After pretty much telling Revan he would deal with the Sandpeople, the Czerka officer gave Revan a hunting licence and sent the Jedi on his way. Outside the office, Revan came face to face with a Duros screaming insults at him and calling him Czerka's murderer.

"Whatever."

The Jedi gave a dismissive gesture and walked on, listening to the Duros mutter something about humans thinking they owned the galaxy. Not much further away another Duros was complaining the same thing. The Duro native caught Bastila's attention and Revan noticed quickly that Bastila was becoming more and more nervous, if he could call the turmoil he sensed within the Padawan that.

"Something wrong?"

Bastila shook her head quickly, but seeing Revan's skeptical look the Padawan sighed and nodded.

"I believe my mother is somewhere near the Cantina. I know its not part of the mission but I would like to speak with her if there is time..."

Revan agreed and gave Bastila her space. It was easy to tell that Bastila had enough on her mind without him adding to her problems. Revan stopped suddenly, his eyes narrow. Bastila seemed to distracted to notice. Revan looked around cautiously before moving towards a large building. Outside a woman was pleading with any who passed over something.

"Excuse me sir."

The woman asked. Revan turned to the woman, flustered.

"What."  
The Dark Lord snapped. The woman seemed to lose confidence sighed heavily, explaining the situation of her husband's death and how her family had nothing. Taking his attention away from the Dark Jedi stalking him, Revan sensed the woman was telling the truth. Taking his stare as a rejection, the woman sighed heavily and looked around for anyone else to ask as Revan dug through his satchel. Pulling close to a thousand credits from his pouch, Revan handed them to the stunned woman and left her with her Wraid plate. Money held no meaning to Revan and he had millions stored away in dozens of hidden accounts.

Making his way to the source of the Darksiders, Revan quietly pulled his crimson saber, leaving Bastila and Mission near the hunter's lodge arguing over the nature of the Force.

Revan stopped before reaching an alleyway. Tacking several Dark Jedi in the middle of a street, regardless of how remote the planet would attract too much attention. Leaping on top of a low building, Revan hid his presence as well as he could, casting a glance towards Bastila. The Jedi turned back and nearly jumped when Canderous appeared before him, clad in his battle armor and grinning widely.

"Looks like this planet isn't as worthless as I thought!"

Canderous whispered, causing Revan to smirk. Making a hand signal to circle around to the other side, Revan fastened his lightsaber to his belt and looked down to the gathered Sith assassins.

_"Unprofessional..."_

Revan noted as he eyed the assassins and their equipment.

_"Apparently whoever took Kreia's place isn't doing as well training their assassins."_

Revan's smirk turned to a frown, his mind pondering his old Master's fate. Shaking off the thoughts, Revan drew a short vibroblade from his cloak and eyed the three Dark Jedi for a moment. Turning no Canderous, Revan motioned to the larger of the assassins and gave Canderous his signal to attack. Leaping from the rooftop, the two Mandalorians landed almost silently behind their quarry. Canderous moved swiftly, wrapping an armored arm around his target and driving his vibroblade into the base of the burly assassin's neck. At the same moment, Revan grasped the top of his target's head, jamming his blade into the assassin's throat, reversing the tables on the Sith assassins.

The last assassin frantically reached for his weapons, drawing a crimson-bladed saberstaff. Revan and Canderous approached from the assassin's left and right. Smirking, the two Mandalorians advanced, the Sith making the mistake of lunging for Revan. His Jedi instincts acting instantly, Revan sidestepped the double-bladed staff and tripped the Sith as he rushed past, throwing his hand back and delivering a fatal stab in the Sith's heart through his back. The Sith's staff dropped with a clatter as it hissed to silence and the Sith gave a pained cry before his life was extinguished.

"Not bad."

Canderous gave an approving nod to Revan as he raided the dead assassin's bodies for anything valuable or useful. Lifting a datapad, the Mandalorian scowled as he read the contents and tossed it to the younger warrior. Revan caught the datapad effortlessly and scowled as well.

"Looks like your friend knows what to expect."

Revan nodded grimly as he wiped the datapad and tossed it to the sand, crushing it beneath his obsidian boots. Canderous looted what he wanted and piled the three corpses in a corner of the alley, covering them with their discarded cloaks.

"This looks like a small scouting group, Sith assassins usually work in four groups of three. We can expect Malak to sent at least this many to each of the Starmap worlds."

Canderous nodded as he tested one of the Sith blaster's balance before scoffing and tossing it in a satchel.

"Makes sense. Malak may not be a tactical genius but he's no fool."

Revan gave his agreement and made his way back to Bastila and Mission. Surprise was etched in Revan's features as he approached his companions. Juhani and Carth were present and three other Dark Jedi lay on the floor lifeless. Bastila and the others appeared unharmed.

"Where have you been?"

Canderous pulled the Sith assassin pistol from his bag and Revan held up the saberstaff. Bastila looked around for a moment in worry before she noticed the area was relatively abandoned. No one had seen them or those that had were long gone.

"We should move these bodies out of the way."

Carth suggested. The others agreed and quickly drug the bodies to where Revan and Canderous had hid their would be assassins.

"We're going to have to find a way to communicate with the Sandpeople if we don't want to fight through an army."

Revan muttered, knowing that the tens of thousands of Sandpeople hiding in the Dune sea were not exactly favorable odds. Canderous as always seemed insulted by the thought that he needed to avoid anything. Carth agreed but questioned where or how they would be able to communicate with the Sandpeople after questioning why and receiving a kick in the shin from Mission.

"There were workers at the docks speaking of an Ithorian merchant who deals in droids. They said he is selling an advanced protocol droid that may be of help to us."

Juhani spoke as she gazed at the pile of Sith corpses, thankful she did not choose to follow the Darkside's path.

"That's a good idea. Mission, Bastila and I are going to check out the cantina. Why don't you lay low around the gamblers, see if you can hear anything useful."

Beaming at the thought of a secret mission from the former Dark Lord, Mission nodded happily and sped away towards the cantina.

"I'll keep an eye on blue."

Canderous muttered darkly, stalking after the Twilek at a reasonable distance. Carth grumbled something about his heavy orange leather coat not being a good choice in the desert heat. Revan and the others resisted the urge to add anything else.

The Cantina was a bad idea, Revan decided as he and Bastila stepped out. Bastila was close to pulling her own hair out and strangling her own mother. The former Dark Lord of the Sith glanced at his companion with sadness. Finding out that her father was dead after nearly two decades of service to the Jedi Order seemed to be tearing at the young woman. Laying a hand gently on Bastila's shoulder, Revan said nothing. He could not say it would be alright, he knew it was a lie. The pain of a loved one's death stayed, though it eventually hid itself it would surface at times and leave you with nearly overwhelming sorrow. Bastila accepted the comfort, through said nothing. The mixture of devastation and anger was enough to cause the Padawan to question some of her choices in life, such as joining the Jedi Order. Cantina quick glance at Revan's concerned face, Bastila's sorrow multiplied.

_"I've lost too much already..."_

Sighing heavily, Bastila seated herself on a crate and buried her face in her hands while Revan stood awkwardly next to her. The temptation to just wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was causing the former Sith to tremble with anger and guilt. In the end, Revan knew it would not be fair to give Bastila that much to think about. He knew he had to bide his time and show her he was still the man he had been when their friendship had seemed to hold no end, when all that mattered was the smile on the other's face and the warm embrace of their eyes.

Clenching his fists in anger, Revan sensed Bastila growing weary. The stress and pain of her mother's message was exhausting her. The fact that she was in the company of a phantom of her past and was being sought by one of the most evil forces in the galaxy would not help that. Gently, Revan reached down and lifted a confused Bastila from the ground, carrying her despite her protests towards the Ebon Hawk.

"Its been enough for one day."

Revan said softly. Bastila frowned at that.

"We still have a mission. A duty to the Jedi and the Republic..."

The Padawan protested. Revan held Bastila gently for a moment and gazed into her shining azure eyes.

"Enough for today."

Revan stated firmly. Knowing that going into the Dune sea at midday exhausted was a death sentence, Bastila reluctantly relented, allowing the warmth of Revan and his strange yet flattering gesture comfort her shot nerves. No amount of Jedi training had prepared her for the news of her father's death. Beneath the anger and sadness there was something else that the Padawan saw within her. Shame. She was ashamed of the way she had snapped at her own mother. She may not have had the best relationship with her mother but she was all the family she had left and her mother had no one here on this desert world. Staring longingly at the man she once knew as Revan Bloodraven and now only knew as a shell of the man, the impostor Tauryn Katarn, Bastila laid her head against Revan's shoulder and closed her eyes.

_"Its just too much..."_

Were Bastila's last thoughts before she drifted into a deep sleep, induced by Revan as he used the Force to grant peace to his cherished companion. As Revan approached the Ebon Hawk he took a moment to stare down at Bastila's sleeping form. The scowl that usually adorned her beautiful features was gone, replaced by a content half-smile. Revan felt a smile pulling at his lips but remained stoic, not wanting to enjoy the moment at Bastila's expense. Making his way into the Ebon Hawk, Revan motioned to Juhani and Zalbaar to be quiet as he laid Bastila in her bunk and situated her comfortably.

Returning to the common area of the Hawk, Revan explained what had happened to a sympathetic Juhani and a solemn Zalbaar. Carth entered several minutes later, hearing what had happened involving Bastila's family and nodding his understanding. Revan had gained a lot of respect for the Republic commander when he saw the sympathy and the silence he offered as reply. There really was nothing to say and Carth knew it.

"I'm going back out to see if I can find this Ithorian."

The others agreed quietly and returned to their duties on the Ebon Hawk while Revan commed Mission and Canderous to meet him near the Cantina. Canderous seemed to be enjoying the young Twilek girl's antics as she swindled the other Pazzak players and earned a generous amount of credits.

The Ithorian, Yuka Laka turned out to be more helpful than Revan wanted to admit. The Ithorian was a novice when it came to repairing droids and when his eyes fell on the rust colored HK droid he nearly had a heart attack. Annoyed at HK-47's state of repair, or lack thereof; Revan managed to convince the incompetent Ithorian to sell him the droid for twenty-five hundred credits. After purchasing the necessary supplies needed to at least give his beloved demon droid an acceptable defensive and offensive abilities. Explaining what the droid was used for to a curious Mission and Canderous, Revan administered the repairs in a nearby alleyway and soon had HK fully operational aside from his assassination protocols, which Revan knew could only be repaired once the droid returned to its original master.

Smirking, Revan activated the rust-colored assassin droid and spoke.

"Voiceprint activation: Revan Bloodraven. Passcode: Star Forge. Secondary security bypass: Trayus Core. Activate memory regeneration sequence."

HK's orange eyes brightened to a crimson as the protocol droid's head swivelled and took in its surroundings.

"Apology: I apologize for my condition, Master. The incompetent meatbag Ithorian, Yuka Laka was barely able to keep my processors active."

Revan chuckled and shook his head.

"No apology is needed my friend."

HK tilted its head towards Mission and Canderous before looking back to Revan.

"Don't kill anything unless I say so."

Revan warned, pointing a finger in the assassin droid's chassis. HK actually appeared disappointed.

"Reluctant Acknowledgment: Very well Master."

Canderous raised and eyebrow at the droid's strange behavior but shrugged, turning towards the gates.

"We're wasting daylight. Going out at night would be foolish, even for us."

Revan nodded.

"We should be able to make it to the Sandpeople's enclave. We shouldn't be able to miss it."

Revan and his three companions quickly made their way to the gates, passing easily thanks to the Czerka hunting license. Outside, Revan spoke briefly with a sadistic woman who apparently was planning to murder her husband. Not really caring, Revan wished her luck and made his way into the desert, wondering after an hour's walk why he didn't rent a speeder. Using the Force to conceal he and his companions, Revan was able to deceive the Sandpeople long enough to walk right into their camp.

A very angry guard greeted them, Revan cautioned the others over HK's hopeful sadistic rambling to not attack. Canderous looked annoyed and Mission looked terrified. Palming his lightsaber with one hand, Revan held another out placatingly as he ordered HK to tell the Sandpeople they were no threat. A string of unintelligible roars and bellows sounded through HK's audio receptors. Still angry, the Tusken called back in the same unintelligible gibberish.

HK turned to Revan.

"Query: Do you wish to continue with this pacifism or would you prefer I blast the sand meatbags, Master?"

The homicidal droid asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. Revan considered for a moment. Killing all the Sandpeople would be risky and even though he held no love for them, he held no malice for them either.

"Let them make the first move."

Revan cautioned. Knowing that fighting on the enemy's homeground was not a wise decision without preparation, Canderous agreed. Mission said nothing, looking around herself warily. The Sandpeople's chieftain was surprisingly fair. Revan had never considered that the primitives would actually have a code of honor. Agreeing to the chieftain's terms, Revan was able to peacefully secure the release of a group of captives.

Griff. Yea, Revan began to seriously regret not just heading to the Starmap, getting the coordinates and leaving the sandball. The Jawas were the only thing keeping Revan from burning the Sandpeople village in spite. Griff was worthless, Revan knew that the moment he laid eyes on him but it was not the man's worth that caused Revan to instantly hate him, it was how he treated Mission.

"You're hitting me up for credits?"

Mission asked incredulously as Griff pleaded with his little sister moments after telling her he had left her behind on Taris. Mission turned away, not wanting to deal with Griff and sped around the corner, leaving Griff in the company of a Mandalorian mercenary, a homicidal assassin droid and the former Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Query: Might I kill this meatbag, Master?"

HK asked with a hopeful tone. Revan turned to Canderous, ignoring the horror on Griff's face.

"Its tempting."  
Canderous offered, smirking darkly as he hefted his heavy repeating blaster. Revan considered for a moment.

"No, Mission wouldn't like that."

Revan replied after a moment's pause. Griff laughed nervously, thinking it had been a joke and asking Revan if he could _borrow_ some credits. Reaching out, Revan grasped one of Griff's lekku and crushed it in his gloved hand as the Twilek cried out in pain.

"Never ask me for anything again, scum."

Revan spat, releasing the Twilek.

"If you do I'll rip both your headtails out."

Terrified and in pain, Griff nodded quickly and ran away.

"I like your style."

Canderous commented proudly. Revan sighed and sought out Mission, finding her outside the Sandpeople enclave, crying. Laying a hand gently on the Twilek girl's shoulder, Revan offered his support. Mission quickly wiped her eyes and stood, sniffing.

"No, lets just get out of here."

The girl sighed, Revan nodded sympathetically, surprised by the young woman's strength. Making their way through the desert, Revan sighed turning to the Twilek scum stalking their trail towards Anchorhead. Apparently Griff didn't know the way back. Sighing, Revan turned back to Anchorhead and increased his pace.

_"It wouldn't be my fault if a Tusken or a Wraid picked him off on the way back..."_

Smirking at the though, Revan reached out with the Force and sensed Bastila stirring.

"HK, don't mention any information about my... previous career."

HK acknowledged, understanding his Master's need to keep his identity secret.

The Ebon Hawk was as he left it aside from the slightly fuming Padawan standing at the top of the ramp with her hands on her hips. Revan winced, knowing all too well the glare Bastila was casting him meant.

"Tauryn Katarn, where have you been?"

Bastila asked in an emotionless tone. Revan sighed, explaining to Bastila his arrangement with the Sandpeople and how the search for Mission's brother had turned out. More annoyed at the fact that she had missed an entire days work than angry at Revan, Bastila silently returned to her quarters, spending the better part of the night meditating on what to do about her mother. Late into the night the Padawan still had no answers and made her way silently to Revan's quarters. Bastila was not surprised to see Revan awake in the garage section of the Hawk. The man she had known had been a chronic insomniac and she had rarely seen Revan unconscious by choice.

Bastila furrowed her brow in confusion as she saw a rust-colored droid. Revan was expertly going over the internal organs of the droid, replacing and repairing years worth of neglect and damage. The man was so focused on his task that he did not sense Bastila until she laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump and spin, capturing Bastila's wrist in a firm grip. Bastila felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she released a startled gasp. Revan slowly released Bastila's wrist and mumbled an apology as he turned back to his assassin droid. Through the night, Bastila spoke to Revan of her relationship with her family and mentioned the loss of a close friend in the last battle of the Mandalorian wars. She had never said the man, who Revan had assessed was himself, had died. She merely said that he had lost himself. Something Revan had to agree with. It was strange how intelligent and strong Bastila could be, yet how much she needed something to fill a missing piece of herself.

Dawn on the desert-world had HK fully assembled through still powered down and Bastila and Revan engaged in a very serious conversation over what she would do about her mother and her father's holocron, if it was discovered of course.

"Look at it this way... Do you really need the holocron?"

Revan asked. Bastila frowned and looked down.

"Well I would like to have something to remember father by but... but I-"

Bastila stopped, Sighing heavily.

"I should be past this, my training... I should be well past such pettiness."

Revan shook his head.

"It would be hard for anyone to control such strong feelings... I lost both my parents when I was very young... It was hard and it still hurts to think about it. I- I really had nothing to remember them by except my own memories and it was enough for me. I want to remember who they were and what they represented to me, I wouldn't need a dairy or anything it would feel like I was invading their privacy... I don't think I would want to remember them that way..."

Bastila nodded, staring at Revan before she stood and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him.

"Thank you. I think I know what I have to do."

With that, Bastila made her way from the Ebon Hawk, towards where her mother was staying when not in the Cantina.

Revan finished checking HK for damage and activated the assassin droid, pleased that the night had been so kind to he and Bastila. His efforts on the assassin droid had paid off and HK was functioning almost as well as he had when he was the Dark Lord.

Making his way to a nearby merchant to purchase a new, more powerful weapon for HK, Revan's eyes fell on a battered but still functional double-sword. Entranced by the poorly kept weapon, Revan asked the alien merchant if he could see the weapon and ran his hand along the strangely familiar hilt. Brushing his thumb on the center of the handle, Revan noticed a small circular device embedded in the hilt.

_"Yusanis..."_

There, engraved in the hilt was the name of the man he had once called a friend. The man he had threatened and murdered. How the famed weapon had made it all the way from Coruscant to Tatooine, Revan did not know, or care to know. Paying the merchant the asked price, Revan purchased a repeating blaster and some tools to help him repair the battered Echani weapon.

By the time Tatooine's twin suns were directly overhead, obscuring all shadows, Revan had ceased his work on Yusanis' Brand and had stopped by multiple merchants in search of moisture vaporizers. Ironically it was the trader at the Czerka office that supplied Revan with the moisture vaporizers. Making his way with HK-47 to the Sandpeople Enclave, Revan gave the surprised Tuskens their vaporizers and spoke of the history of their people, intrigued by their lives. The Sandpeople were at first reluctant to speak to Revan of their culture until a rogue Krayt Dragon managed to find its way to their Enclave and killed several of their warriors. Revan had acted instantly, leaping high into the air with his azure and ruby saber ignited. The Jedi had dropped onto the creature's back and rushed to its head, driving both sabers on opposite ends as he used the Force to stabilize himself against the beast's thrashing.

The Sandpeople had been shocked at the spectacle and had praised Revan with roars of approval. Revan had honored his deal and had given the sacred Krayt Dragon pearls to the Sandpeople, leaving the body for the nomadic Tuskens to prepare. No doubt the gargantuan creature would provide the Sandpeople with enough food to last them through the coming dry season.

With the map the Sandpeople had given him, Revan was able to pinpoint the location of the Starmap and the cavern that held its secrets. Returning to the Ebon Hawk, Revan grew worried when he did not see Bastila. Carth had eased Revan's worry, saying Bastila had decided to spend the day with her mother. Revan nodded, sealing himself in the garage section of the Ebon Hawk as he worked over the workbench on the Echani weapon he had by some twist of fate been reunited with.

The night passed without notice to the Mandalorian Jedi as he worked diligently on the weapon. The pillaging of Yusanis' body had been one of many consequences of his fall that he was ashamed of. Keeping Yusanis' cherished weapon maintained and returning it to his family was the only thing Revan could do. A gesture of respect to the Echani General's children for the so called second chance they had convinced Atris to offered him.

Carth had received a communication that night from the Republic war Council. The Sith had pulled back on all fronts and were staging their vessels at some unknown location for a strike. There was little to go by, but one prisoner had claimed that the Jedi would suffer greatly for their foolish belief in the lightside. The Republic had permanently silenced the young Dark Jedi, sending his soul into the oblivion the Darkside offered upon death.

Bastila returned in the morning, tired but no longer questioning herself. Revan found the chance pleasing, knowing that Bastila and her mother had somehow resolved the silent and not to silent tension that existed between the two. Showing his findings to Bastila and the others, everyone agreed that taking the Ebon Hawk near the entrance to the cavern would be a good idea.   
All the Ebon Hawk's crew slept peacefully that night with the exception of the ever vigilant droids and Revan. Revan had chosen to finish polishing Yusanis' Brand. When he had the time, Revan would present the weapon to Yusanis' children. A token of his respect for them.

Morning came all too soon for Revan and the former Dark Lord sealed the Echani weapon away once more, making his way to the cockpit and directing Carth to where he sensed the Starmap's dark aura. Identifying several landmarks from the air, the Ebon Hawk landed near a vast cavern and its crew filed outside, staring into the dark gaping maw of the cave.

"I sense a massive presence within..."

Juhani spoke as she opened her yellow eyes. Revan reached out with the Force, sensing the massive presence of a Krayt Dragon and beyond it the remnants of pain and death. Bastila too reached out and felt the blood drain from her face. Within the cavern she could sense the faint traces of her father and she knew that within was the creature that had killed him.

Canderous seemed overly alert, his eyes scanning the distant dunes. Soon the sound of a speeder's engines reached Revan's ears.

"Well look who it is!"

Canderous exclaimed with a sadistic grin. Calo Nord and around a dozen thugs on swoop bikes appeared on the horizon.

"Everyone get to the Hawk. Canderous load up my swoop bike."

Canderous nodded quickly, rushing up the Ebon Hawk's ramp and lowering the modified swoop as Carth fired the ship's engines. Revan leapt onto the swoop as the Ebon Hawk lifted skyward. The former Dark Lord was surprised when he felt a small hand wrap around his waist and Bastila speak softly into his ear to go. The swoop tore away in a blur over the sands of the Dune sea. Revan piloted the craft expertly as he swerved to avoid the incoming hail of blasterfire from Calo's gang. Bastila removed her lightsaber and held it with one end active as she leaned to the side, holding to Revan for support.

Together, the two Jedi sped through Calo's thugs, Bastila's golden blade slicing into the enemy's swoop bikes and sending them crashing into the sands in brilliant explosions. The Ebon Hawk flew overhead, its ventral turret raining crimson death onto the Bounty Hunter and his allies.

Within a half hour, only Calo remained. His companions either dead or wounded. The Ebon Hawk hovered in the air as Revan brought his swoop to a halt before Calo's speeder. The stocky Bounty Hunter immediately powered his shields as he glared at the Jedi. Revan pulled his azure saber and activated its deadly beam as Bastila remained near the swoop bike, scanning for other threats.

"I know who you are and I came prepared!"

Calo stated confidently. Revan bowed his head once to the Bounty Hunter and rushed forward, his azure saber deflecting the deadly orange blaster bolts into the sands and back to the Bounty Hunter. Calo seemed surprised but held his ground, backing slowly as he dropped one of his heavy blasters to the ground and pulled a thermal detonator. Throwing the deadly sphere towards the attacking Jedi, Calo watched with a mixture of respect and fear as the device halted in midair and went sailing back towards him.

A bright firestorm erupted, causing the sand to turn to glass as Calo and Revan both tried to leap clear of the explosion. The Force protecting Revan from the deadly inferno and Calo's shield losing its charge form the blast, the two faced each other as smoke billowed from the small crater. Revan prepared to strike, only to see that the noise and the smell of fresh blood and burnt flesh had attracted an unwanted guest. Seeing that Revan was no longer staring at him, Calo chanced a glance behind him and cried out in horror as a gigantic mouth closed around him. In an instant, the deadly hunter's life was over.

The Krayt dragon chewed on Calo's remains for a moment before swallowing and roaring as it charged Revan. Revan shouted to Bastila, relieved to see that the Padawan had already gotten onto the swoop bike and was lining the swoop's blasters on the massive reptile. Red blasterbolts tore into the gigantic creature from all sides, surprising Revan and his companions. Turning, Revan saw a horde of Sandpeople standing around the dunes firing on the great beast. Calling to the others to hold their fire, Revan watched as the beast roared in pain and anger before it fell to the ground, shaking the sands with its death.

The Sandpeople chieftain gave Revan a respectful bow and spoke a phrase before he and his warriors vanished into the sands. Nearby a Twilek hunter stared down from a cliff's ridge at the spectacle and smiled. Koma had respected the power of the Krayt Dragons and the one he had been sent to kill had died honorably in a battle. Returning to his speeder, the hunter turned back to Anchorhead to sell the mines he had purchased to destroy the threat of the Krayt Dragon.

The Ebon Hawk again set down in the Tatooine sands and the crew curiously approached Revan. Revan shrugged, not knowing what the Sandpeople chieftain had said to him until HK translated.

_"Returning the honor, warrior."_

Revan allowed himself a moment to bask in the battlefield before he, Juhani and Bastila entered the dark cave, heading to the beacon of light that lay at the end.

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the like two weeks delay in this chapter. As you can see its about twise as long as most of the others. (With the exception of Chapters 1 and 2) I hope you all enjoyed my take on Tatooine and I assure you that the next chapter will be up a lot sooner than this one was. Thank you all again for reading. 

SLDR


	23. Chapter 23: The Wisdom of the Council

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 23: The Wisdom of the Council

The Starmap's new information recorded, the crew of the Ebon Hawk returned to Anchorhead to celebrate their victory over Calo's gang. Bastila and Mission both disappeared during the party, Revan assumed Bastila was searching for her mother to show her the holocron of her father they had found near the Starmap. Revan allowed a moment of silent respect to his friend's father. Selrek Shan, Bastila's father, had to have been a skilled archeologist to be able to locate a remnant of the Rakatan's great empire on the desert world of Tatooine. Unsure of where Mission had gone, Revan commed his Twilek friend and received a tired reply.

"Yea?"

Revan spoke briefly with Mission, realizing she had gone off to try to sort things out with her brother and had gotten into another argument. Zalbaar had chosen to stay on the Ebon Hawk, not feeling sociable and Mission had returned to her hairy friend for comfort, not wanting to disturb the others. Revan told Mission to call him if anything happened or if there was anything he could do to help and went out to find Bastila, curious to see the woman who had mothered such a strong-willed young woman, though he had already spoken with the unpleasant woman he was curious to see the change in the mother and daughter.

Revan found Bastila crying in her mother's arms and abruptly made himself scarce. It was not something he should be voyeur to. Finding a Swoop track, Revan decided to spend the evening trying his luck against the other racers and gladly paid the greedy slug of a Hutt the credits to use the track. Soon Revan had attracted a little too much attention to his liking as the Tatooine swoopbike champion. Leaving his winnings with Mission saying she could use them for her brother if she liked, Revan returned to his nightly task of repairing Yusanis' brand.

Bastila was the last to make it back to the Hawk. Her mother had insisted on meeting the man her daughter had spoken so highly of and Revan found himself under Helena Shan's intense scrutiny. Revan locked himself in his quarters after promising Helena he would watch after Bastila though he had said she could more than take care of herself. Helena had booked transport back to Coruscant but Revan had suggested they take her themselves. The Ebon Hawk had to nearly cross the galaxy to get to Kashyyyk and Coruscant was on the way. Helena had agreed reluctantly and was soon in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant seeing the best of the Jedi Healers.

Bastila had silently thanked Revan for the idea and had resigned herself to her quarters after she and her mother parted ways.

The Jedi High Council had asked to see Bastila, all Masters present except for those on Dantooine and of course Atris, though a glowing blue hologram of the Echani Master resided over the meeting along with those of the Dantooine Masters.

Strangely enough, the Council had asked to speak only with Juhani. Revan surmised that it had to do with Bastila's currently unstable and emotional condition. Revan had joked with Carth that Bastila had gotten like that once a month and was sporting a new bruise since Bastila had happened to be listening in on the conversation. Needless to say, Carth was enjoying his time with the Ebon Hawk and her crew. The retreat away from the front lines was a welcome change and the crew were definitely entertaining. Still though, the need for revenge against those that had destroyed his homeworld remained and Carth knew if he stayed alongside Bastila and the other Jedi long enough, he would eventually get a shot at Karath.

Revan had chosen to be alone, his eyes traveling over a datapad a Twilek man had given him on Tatooine before they had left. After reading the contents, Revan decided it would be best to ignore the information. Getting involved with an intergalactic group of assassins was not exactly on his to-do list.

Juhani had returned slightly shaken after speaking with the Council and had sealed herself in the cargo hold. Of course things were never easy. The Cathar had found a young stowaway. Canderous had joked about flushing the girl out of an airlock, something HK-47 was more than willing to do and had tried. Revan had decided to speak with the girl, his work on Yusanis' brand nearly complete. Sasha. That was what the girl had called herself. Luckily for the Ebon Hawk's crew, their little stowaway had a family searching for her. Zalbaar had immediately recognized the name of the girl, having spoken with a Twilek man hired by the girl's family on Dantooine.

The girl's mixed language gave Revan and Canderous all the evidence they needed that she had been a Mandalorian captive. Choosing to keep away from the girl, since they were both Mandalorians, Revan and Canderous left her in the hands of Carth and Zalbaar. Both of whom had taken an interest in the girl's welfare. A quick course correction and a few missed hours brought the Ebon Hawk to Dantooine and the girl back to her family.

Bastila had gone off to speak with the Council and the others decided a small rest was in order. Revan completed his repairs of Yusanis' brand and decided to relax, walking in the fresh air of the Dantooine countryside and finding an old spot where he and Malak had used to spend their days. More and more the memories of what he had been were eating away at Revan, enough so that he almost wished he was who Bastila, Carth and the Jedi believed he was. It would have made everything so much easier.

The Jedi spent most of the evening there, until the Dantooine sun began to rise. Making his way back to the Ebon Hawk, Revan waited for the rest of the crew to gather before the Ebon Hawk blasted off towards Kashyyyk.

Zalbaar was beginning to get more and more agitated. Deciding it was the Wookiee's business and that if he wanted to talk about it he would, Revan chose to seek out Juhani, wondering why the young Cathar was so upset after Coruscant.

"Juhani?"

Revan asked as he entered the sealed cargo area. Juhani slowly opened her eyes and stood from her meditation.

"Tauryn, I must speak with you..."

She began, not making eye contact. Warnings immediately went off in Revan's mind as he nodded and knelt before Juhani, waiting for the Cathar to do the same. With a wave of her hand, Juhani sealed the cargo bay and turned to Revan.

"The Council asked me to keep an eye on you. They told me who you really were..."

Revan nodded, it would make sense that the Jedi would want their people to know the situation.

"They are suspicious of you, Revan. They told me that if I thought you were beginning to remember that I was to... eliminate the threat to the Republic."

The former Sith Lord nodded again, expecting this.  
"The Jedi do not kill their prisoners... no matter what their crimes. Lovely speech isn't it?"  
Revan smirked at Juhani's confusion over the Council and their decisions.

"I'm still the same man I was then I went to fight the Mandalorians. I am still the same man I was when I chose to destroy the Jedi order and the Republic. My reason? Jedi lie and the Republic is too weak and stagnant to make any difference where it counts. I will not risk billions of lives for my goal anymore though. I will do it the... slow way."

Juhani gave Revan an uncertain look.

"What do you mean the slow way?"

Revan chuckled as he stretched and stood, clasping his hands together behind his back as he paced the cargo bay.

"When I first took the mantle of Dark Lord and assumed the title of Darth Revan, I used the Darkside of the Force to corrupt those that followed me and I used my power to make certain they would remain loyal... It was the fast way, the easy way and the mistake. The corruption of the Darkside blinded them and I to what we were doing. Regardless of the fact I knew and weighted each of my decisions... It was as thought I didn't care about the consequences... at least up until someone slapped me in the face."

Revan shook his head with a heavy sigh.

"I suppose you could say I took that first step towards the Darkside and never looked back until I was forced to..."

The former Dark Lord of the Sith trailed off, staring at the bulkhead with a distant expression. Deciding to leave Revan with his thoughts, Juhani made her way to her bunk and rested as best she could. It bothered her greatly what the Jedi had asked of her and she had difficulty centering herself when she reminisced about her life as a Jedi.

Kashyyyk was not as Revan had expected. The lush forests of the wroshyr trees that stretched for miles into the sky were littered with the scum of the Galaxy. Czerka corporation. Zalbaar seemed the most uneasy with the changed his world had gone through since the arrival of the Czerka slavers. Juhani seemed to share Revan's disgust of the situation as she, Zalbaar and the former Dark Lord of the Sith waited in the Czerka office for_ permission _from the incompetent Ithorian, Janos Wertka, to enter the walkways.

Grumbling to himself, Revan led Juhani and Zalbaar through the walkways towards the general direction of the Starmap.

"Is something wrong?"

Juhani asked with more concern that she should have. Revan shook his head.

"No it's just Czerka Corp annoys me."

Revan did not voice the other reason that was driving him mad. Bastila. The events on Tatooine had shown him she was strong enough to know the truth but he was too much of a coward to tell her.

_"Would she go to the Council?"_

Revan allowed the question to hover in his mind for a moment before he heard voices shouting to one another. Motioning to Zalbaar and Juhani, Revan cautiously walked along the shroud of the massive wroshyr trunk. Revan tensed as he caught sight of three Czerka slavers standing over a dead Wookiee and arguing about getting their pay cut. Seeing the same scene, Zalbaar and Juhani both glowered hatefully at the slavers. Revan took a moment to look around before he stepped from shadow of the tree trunk and approached the men.

"Do you have a family?"

Revan asked the man who appeared to be in charge. Frowning, the man, Captain Dehno nodded.

"Then you should find a new line of work. Its dangerous working here."

The man looked ready to snap back at Revan until he saw the former Sith Lord's two shadows. An extremely pissed off Cathar and a Wookiee. Turning back to his men, the man talked lowly, thinking Revan could not hear.

"We should make our way back for some reinforcements and come back."

The others agreed while Revan shook his head. Raising his hand, the former Sith Lord sent Captain Dehno screaming over the edge of the walkways and into the distant shadowlands of Kashyyyk. The other two looked on in stunned silence before raising their blasters towards Revan. The snap and hiss of Revan's crimson bladed saber greeted the slaver's eyes and they immediately dropped their weapons, raising their hands.

Zalbaar roared angrily as he charged the two defenseless men. Only Revan's intervention stopped the Wookiee from tearing the slavers to pieces.

"They haven't made a move against us yet, it would be wrong, Zalbaar!"

Revan shouted to the Wookiee. The Wookiee looked back to Revan, trembling with rage as he looked back to his fallen brethren.

_"I will respect your judgement and my life-debt to you, Revan."_

Zalbaar relented, backing away from the terrified slavers and growling threateningly. Revan turned to see Juhani resting her hand against her lightsaber, ready to strike down the slavers herself.

"Jedi do not kill their prisoners."

Revan reminded Juhani. Even if the Council was willing to make an exception for Sith, he was not about to let the young Cathar damn herself. He would kill these men first, it was he who was damned. Seeing the question in Juhani's eyes, Revan walked towards the woman while Zalbaar kept his bowcaster trained on the Czerka slavers.

"Would you throw away the years of Jedi training and your own values to murder two men. It wouldn't even make a difference to kill these two, look at them."

Juhani scowled as she looked past Revan to the terrified slavers. Beyond the fear she could sense that these men were not evil, just misguided. Shaking her head, the Cathar willed herself to comply with the Jedi teachings as she saw Revan turned back to the men and swiftly decapitate each of them in a single motion. Gasping in shock Juhani pulled her saber from her belt and raised it defensively, keeping its deadly blue beam inactive.

"What have you done!"

Juhani cried as she trembled against her will. Revan turned back to her with an unreadable expression.

"What you would have, had you fallen to the Darkside."

Revan replied simply. Instantly, Juhani felt her anger drain, the abhorrence at Revan's actions had made it clear to her that murdering anyone, regardless of how despicable was not her way. Zalbaar seemed less than angry at Revan's actions, roaring his approval of Revan. The former Dark Lord used the Force to throw both bodies and their heads over the walkway. Revan continued on, not looking back at Juhani as Zalbaar spoke to him, finally revealing the secret he had kept from Revan and even Mission.

As he listened, Revan found himself feeling sympathy for his Wookiee friend and was soon calculating how he could strip Chuundar's power. It was the right thing to do in his eyes. A Wookiee guard jumped from a wroshyr branch overhead, giving a bellowing roar into Zalbaar's face as it waved its arms in the air.

Juhani tensed, her grip on her saber never easing since she had seen Revan kill the two slavers without a second thought. Revan listened to the Wookiee's angry declaration and then to Zalbaar.   
"What do you think?"

Revan asked when the Wookiee guard had calmed and ordered them to go to the Rwookrrorro village. Zalbaar shook his head sadly.

_"We have no choice, Revan. I am sorry that I have brought this on to you."_

Revan sighed, shaking his head as well.

"We'll deal with Chuundar when the time comes."

Zalbaar nodded, looking towards the direction of the village.

_"I can only wonder what has happened to our father Freyyr."_

The journey to the Rwookrrorro village was silent. Zalbaar pondering the reason his brother was in power and not his father and Juhani, Revan's actions against the slavers. It was clear to her that Revan had struck them down without anger. It was almost emotionless the way he had killed them. In a way it reminded her of the way a Jedi kills someone. Curious, she filed the thought away to dwell on later.

At nearly the same moment, Revan, Zalbaar and Juhani all tensed. Either sensing or smelling the threat. Zalbaar gave a small growl and Juhani held her inactive saber tightly in her grasp as she eyed their surroundings. Juhani saw one of Revan's saber's float to his hand and his next movement was a blur as a red beam of light streaked to where he was standing. Moments later more blaster bolts rained onto Juhani. Zalbaar quickly activated his shield and leapt for a wroshyr trunk, his claws digging into the thick bark as he climbed upwards with incredible speed. Moments later, the green bolts of Zalbaar's bowcaster struck the unseen assassin and a pained cry was heard as the Sith fell into the shadowlands. Juhani looked around warily and dodged as a violet blade shot from thin air. Hissing, Juhani realized that the Sith were concealing themselves with stealth field generators.

The Sith assassin paused as the Cathar Jedi vanished from his sight. Confused, he never saw the Cathar activate her own stealth field or felt the azure beam that shot into his heart from behind.

Revan was elsewhere, chasing after the other assassin as she frantically leapt from one wroshyyr branch to the other. Knowing that she was not going to make a clean escape, the assassin turned to face her opponent, only to see nothing. Turning around, the young woman gave out a surprised cry as Revan stood before her, his arms crossed.

"Do you know who I am?"

Revan asked coldly. The young woman nodded shakily as a cold smile spread across Revan's face and his eyes glinted with a predatory golden light.

"Then don't insult me by thinking you can sneak up on me."

Terrified, the Sith assassin nodded, unable to find words. Slowly, Revan depressed the switch of his lightsaber and watched the crimson beam shoot forth.

"I'll give you a choice..."

Revan began, holding the deadly weapon perfectly still as he pointed it towards the woman's throat.

"Tell me everything you know and leave the Sith..."

Revan smirked slowly as he looked motioned his head downward, never taking his eyes off the assassin.

"Or become one with the shadowlands."

The struggle already over before it began, the terrified assassin told Revan everything.

"Malak knows you are alive, Lord Revan. Calo Nord escaped Taris and told him everything. He assumed the Jedi would seek out the Starmaps and sent us in small groups to scout the locations... He is sending Lord Bandon personally to Manaan to safeguard the Starmap there."

Revan merely rose an eyebrow. It was not Malak's style to send his second in command. Malak was too arrogant for that and it was strange that Malak actually took him as a threat if he was so all powerful as he had said he was after his betrayal. The former Sith Lord felt his smirk widen with pride.

"Malak is afraid."

The young woman nodded as she trembled.

"Y-yes Milord."

Revan deactivated his weapon and attached it to his belt, eyeing the woman for a moment. There was something familiar about her that he could not place. It was likely she was one of his own apprentices he had trained to kill Jedi on Malachor V.

"What of Malachor V and Lady Traya?"

Revan asked, his demeanor calming significantly. The young woman looked downward.

"Lady Traya was betrayed by Lord Nihilus and Sion. Malak was in league with the two and had her eliminated before he attacked you. They both control the Trayus academy, Milord."

Revan sighed heavily as he shook his head.

"It is not the same, Lord Revan... Are- are you coming back to us?"

There was almost a hopeful note in the woman's voice. Revan thought back to his reign as the Dark Lord. Most of it spent chasing the Vong from the Outer Rim and trying to strengthen the weak Republic into an Empire powerful enough to crush them. Then Revan saw Bastila. Her blue eyes burning with betrayal and anger as she glared at him with all the pain and hatred she could muster on his own flagship two years before. It was not a difficult choice for Revan to make, the galaxy could burn.

"No... My ways was... too costly."

Nodding understanding, the assassin bowed her head, closing her right hand to a fist and bringing it over her heart.

"Hail, Lord Revan. I will convince as many as I can to leave."

Revan tilted his head once. It was good to know that there were still some loyal to him alive in the Sith Empire.

"Go to Cornet city on Corellia. Gather with as many loyal followers as you can. It is time we ended the Vong."

Bowing deeply, the woman responded.

"Of course, Milord."

When she looked up, Revan was gone.

Juhani jumped with a start as Revan dropped from a wroshyr branch above and landed silently before her.

"We must move quickly."

Revan stated without emotion. Zalbaar roared his approval as they made their way quickly to the Wookiee village. Once there, Revan was forced to endure the self-proclaimed leader of the Wookiees speaking highly of his own questionable actions. The only thing that had caught Revan's attention was Chuundar's order to kill a mad Wookiee in the shadowlands and his brief explanation to his brother of their father's _tragic_ enslavement.

Revan and Juhani were forced to leave Zalbaar behind, something that did not sit well with Mission at all. After some reassurance, the young Twilek calmed and all but ordered Revan to take her along. Revan reluctantly agreed after a small argument. Bastila, Carth and Canderous all stood at the ramp of the Ebon Hawk as Juhani filled them in on the Sith ambush. Revan noticed Bastila seemed slightly shaken by this and decided his silence in the matter of his true identity was a good thing. It was too much pressure to put on Bastila, especially on an Outer Rim world and far away from the Jedi and Republic.

_"I'll tell her the moment we reach Manaan... She's bound to find out when Bandon opens his big mouth."_

Revan could recall a few details of Malak's new apprentice. He was the Sith that had boarded the Endar Spire and killed Trask and was beyond bloodthirsty. The man was likely insane with the darkside. Bastila eyes Revan for a moment warily. Revan thought for a moment back to Juhani's warning. If Juhani knew, it would make sense that Bastila would know as well.

Shaking his head, Revan wondered if the Padawan suspected the truth, not knowing that Bastila was struggling with herself for precisely the opposite reason. Bastila had not been informed by the Council of Revan's condition ever since that fateful meeting with the Council on Dantooine where Vandar Tolkare had erased her memory. The Council knew the deep feelings Bastila held for the former Dark Lord and the risk was too great, partly the reason they entrusted Juhani with the task of eliminating Revan should the Dark Lord return.

Bastila was more concerned with the similarities she felt within Tauryn Katarn and Revan Bloodraven. It was almost absurd how similar they were. Bastila's mind raged with unanswered questions as she returned to the Ebon Hawk to meditate. Canderous and Carth spoke briefly of the Mandalorian wars and of Carth's family. That is until an old friend of Carth's spotted him and delivered a bit of startling news. Even Canderous was inclined to charge into Korriban after hearing Jordo's news that Carth's son, Dustil had survived. Mandalorians held to family and Clan bonds tightly and Canderous saw much of his own values in Carth. The burly Mandalorian General felt a small amount of respect for the Republic Commander he harassed so shamelessly and shook his head, waiting for Revan, the cat-woman and blue-girl's return. They may just be making a detour to Korriban after all.

Revan, Juhani and Mission where busy fighting off a small horde of Kinrath that had ambushed a group of Wookiee hunters along the walkways. The leader of the group, Chorrawl, was less than grateful for the _outsider's_ assistance. Revan placated the Wookiee's rage and managed to get a small amount of information from the reluctant Wookiee before proceeding to the lift to the shadowlands. The lift guard, Gorwooken, was fanatically loyal to Chuundar. Something Revan knew would be a problem later on.

The deceit he had sensed in Chuundar was sickening and the amount of fear that Chuundar radiated when speaking of the _crazed Wookiee_ and of course the blatant lie of his father being sold into slavery was giving Revan just about all the information he needed to piece together the puzzle of Kashyyyk's plight. Revan had already decided he would try to give Czerka as much trouble as possible. That was decided the moment he set eyes on Captain Dehno and his two companions.

_"Perhaps this exiled Wookiee will hold the answer to this problem."_

Gorwooken was silent, not speaking to Revan or his companions after his initial warning not to double-cross the _wise and mighty_ Chuundar. Revan had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the arrogant title of the Wookiee _chieftain._

The upper shadowlands as they were known were littered with corpses of unfortunate warriors and travelers. After walking out of earshot of Gorwooken, Juhani voiced her mistrust of Chuundar and his intentions. Revan nodded his agreement while Mission made a face at a small Tach that tried to attach itself to her leg.

Revan continued to walk towards where he knew the Starmap was located, warily glancing at the fallen branches and trunks of the wroshyyr that seemed to block their path. A forcefield seemed to appear out of nowhere, its violet-pink glow illuminating the shadowy world.

"This wasn't here before..."

Revan muttered, frowning. Juhani and Mission glanced at each other before looking around the area.

"We could climb over it..."

Juhani suggested, pulling a cable-launcher from her belt. Revan shook his head, rubbing his light brown goatee in thought.

"No... I know someone who might be able to help."

Juhani and Mission appeared confused by Revan's choice of words, but shrugged to one another. Mission did not like the idea of climbing over the treetrunks and into the mouth of a Katarn and Juhani was curious to see this person Revan was speaking of. The silent questions Juhani and Mission held were soon answered as the humming of a lightsaber reached their ears. Juhani tensed and Mission shivered slightly, knowing that Sith were not the easiest targets when all she had was a vibroblade and a blaster.

The smirk on Revan's face calmed Mission slightly. Being in the presence of that man seemed to make her confident. Revan walked a little ways ahead of Mission and Juhani up a small embankment, leaning against a tree and crossing his arms as he watched the battle below. Juhani questioned Revan's actions when she caught sight of an elderly man fighting off a pack of Katarn with an emerald lightsaber. Revan shook his head, at Juhani's silent request to help.

"Trust me, he wouldn't appreciate the help."

Juhani looked back and was surprised to see the old man kill the entire group of creatures expertly. Reaching out with the Force, Juhani sensed nothing of the darkside within the old man and let out a sigh of relief.

"Bah, the damnable racket of battle!"

The old man cursed as he looked towards the direction of the newcomers.

"Watch yourself, even more of these crawling beasts are hiding in the underbrush."

Mission looked around warily and Revan smirked.

"Don't you recognize who you're talking to old man?"

Revan questioned. The old man narrowed his eyes for a moment as he gazed at Revan. Slowly a surprised look came over the man's face.

"Bah! You again! I never thought you'd be back here."

Revan's smirk turned to a frown.

"Times change, old man."

The old man shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"At least you brought more colorful companions this time."

Jolee motioned to Juhani and Mission. The two aliens gave Revan a questioning look.

"May I introduce you, old man?"

Revan asked, his smirk returning. Jolee rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"Go ahead kid, who's going to stop you?"

Revan's smirk widened as he motioned his hand to the old man, who have a mock-bow.  
"Before you, ladies is the great and wise exiled Jedi Padawan Jolee Bindo. A hero of the Sith wars of Exar Kun, Jolee has chosen exile in these lovely surroundings for the past two decades and no one knows the shadowlands better."

"Except the Wookiees."

Jolee protested. Revan nodded, crossing his arms over his chest once more. Jolee sighed as he looked between Revan and his companion.

"Follow me to my camp and we'll talk a bit."

Jolee took off at a jog towards his hovel as Revan, Mission and Juhani followed.

"Nice."  
Revan joked, drawing a mock-glare from Jolee.

"Well welcome to my home such as it is. Pull up a stump and be comfortable!"  
Jolee announced excitedly, obviously lacking in companionship for some time. Revan leaned against a wroshyyr trunk and crossed his arms, looking off in the distance.

"So what brings the deposed and _dead_ Dark Lord of the Sith to my corner of the galaxy?"

Jolee asked with a mischievous tone. Juhani and Mission again exchanged looks.

"Does everyone know who you are, Revan?"

Juhani asked incredulously. Revan shrugged, nodding towards Jolee.

"Malak and I met Jolee years ago when we first sought the Starmaps. We were... neutral at that point in our lives."

Jolee snorted.

"You were also insane and reckless. I recall you and your bald friend had a bit of difficulty with those Terantek."

Juhani's eyes widened.

"What are Terantek doing here?"

Revan answered for Jolee.

"An alien race known as the Yuuzhan Vong created the Terantek as a means of hunting Force sensitives, who they view as heretic."

The ease of Revan's statement confused Juhani. Casting Revan a questioning look, Revan sighed.

"They are the reason I used the Sith..."

Jolee nodded, smacking Revan on the back of the head.

"Good job there, Kid. The problem is the Vong were never the real threat."

This caught Revan's attention as he stood, glaring at Jolee.

"WHAT?"  
Revan roared, causing Mission and Juhani to wince. Jolee remained passive.

"Terantek were not made to hunt Jedi, they were made to hunt something else that wielded the Force and gave the Vong enough trouble for them to specifically engineer the bloodhounds."

Revan became pale. Very pale.

"What do you know."  
Revan asked in a whisper. Jolee shook his head sadly.

"I know what I hear, Revan and I know what the Force tells me. Don't you think its strange that you were losing so many to the Vong initially and then suddenly had them on the run?"

Revan frowned deeply, his face ashen.

"My wife, Nayama... She told me about Exar Kun and his plan. It was not very different from yours at first..."

Jolee narrowed his eyes in a silent glare.

"She told me there were other Sith out there... The first Sith. Hiding and waiting for the time to spring their revenge against the Republic. She also told me they were fighting an enemy called the Vong and were winning, easily. And she wasn't lying."

Revan dropped to his knees, his hands clenched into tight balls as he sputtered incoherently, his rage increasing. High above, Bastila's eyes snapped open as she felt Revan's power swell and darken. Shivering, Bastila stood shaking and made her way to the cockpit where Carth was arguing with HK-47 about killing off all lifeforms within a two kilometer radius.

"Carth."

Carth continued arguing with the assassin droid, not hearing Bastila."Carth!"  
Bastila all but screamed. Immediately, HK and Carth fell silent. The Republic Commander gave Bastila a surprised look.

"Raise the landing ramp and have the ship ready for takeoff."

Confused, Carth nodded, knowing that the Jedi may have sensed something. Carth's paranoid feared the worst.

_"What if Tauryn and the others were ambushed and killed..."_

Bastila had even darker thoughts running through her mind.

_"What if Darth Revan has returned?" What if he killed Juhani and Mission..."_

Bastila felt sick to herself when she realized that she was almost hopeful that was the case. Shuddering, the Padawan walked to the rear of the ship to await the return of the Dark Lord as she pulled her saber from her belt.

_"I will do my duty to the Order. I will end his evil..."_

The Padawan resolved as she struggled with her decision.

Mission and Juhani backed away from the enraged former Sith. His eyes held a golden glow as he raged through the shadowlands, picking up and throwing debris and screaming incoherently into the darkness. The only thoughts running through his mind what a waste it had all been. After several minutes, Revan calmed enough to stand, panting heavily as he glared through golden eyes at his surroundings. Slowly, Revan raised his blue-bladed lightsaber and crushed the hilt in his hands, letting the crystal and the metallic shards fall to the forest floor as he glared down at it, his face twisted with hatred.

Walking up to a startled Juhani and Mission, Revan looked at them with absent, brown eyes, his rage turning to despair.

"The Council was right. I should have waited. Force I lost so many..."

Revan shook his head, not making eye contact with the two woman.  
"Malak is the least of our worries..."

Across the galaxy, Darth Malak's eyes snapped open. The mangled Sith Lord allowed a moment of fear to settle in him, harnessing it into anger and using it to fuel his power as his fleet rode through hyperspace towards the Enclave on Dantooine.

_"So you have returned, my Master... my old friend."_

Malak shook his head of the thought. He would turn the Enclave on Dantooine into a crater and capture the Jedi there. He would soon have his answer to how Revan had survived his assault.

Kashyyyk was a blur to Revan after hearing Jolee's revelation. He sensed no deceit from the man and knew that his fall to the Darkside, the thousands of people he had killed, even his heroics in the Mandalorian wars were meaningless. They were all made to weaken the Republic. The Mandalorians had been tricked by these Sith into declaring war on the Republic. These true Sith had left behind hints of their true power to seduce and corrupt Jedi and now they were killing the most deadly enemy he had ever faced with relative ease. It was nearly enough to drive him mad.

Revan mechanically killed a group of Mandalorian raiders and aided a Wookiee prisoner. He also found the crazed Wookiee who was as he suspected, Freyyr. A battle with a Terantek had given Revan the means to returning the Wookiee to power and Starmap recognized his brain pattern and gave the coordinates without a problem.

Following Revan's outburst of rage and anger, Juhani and Mission noticed the abrupt change. Revan did not joke or show concern, not even anger. In fact he showed nothing as he did the tasks appointed to him. It was almost like watching a droid. Jolee accompanied Revan and his group, using the excuse that he wanted off Kashyyyk. The truth being that he was concerned with how Revan had taken the news. And rightly so.

The billions that had died needlessly to the Jedi Civil War were nothing but a diversion for this enemy to prepare for their final battle. Burning within Revan was shame. Shame that he had been fooled so easily. Shame at all those he killed in the name of peace and later power and finally. Shame that he had betrayed Bastila to fight a meaningless war. Had the Vong been the true threat, Revan felt he could have lived with himself but in the end, he felt useless. Old and worn out.

Chuundar was deposed quickly with Zalbaar's help and Mission was happily, though her cheer was short lived due to Revan's mentality, reunited with her hairy friend. Juhani went ahead to tell Carth and the others about Jolee and an _interesting development_ in Tauryn.

Revan sat himself in the cargo hold of the Ebon Hawk, gazing intently into Bastila's penetrating blue eyes as he took in a deep breath.

"Bastila, I have something to tell you."

The former Dark Lord began, knowing he could hide it no longer. His outburst in the shadowlands was likely felt on Coruscant. The uncontrollable anger that mounted had been building since he had learned of Bastila's father's death. It wasn't fair for her. The assassins and their news of Traya brought more anger and finally Jolee's seemingly casual conversation that had made the better part of Revan's life a wasted effort.

"I lied to you, Bastila. I am sorry."

Revan cast his eyes downward in defeat as he felt his anger completely drain away.

_"I have no right to be angry. I was fool enough to rush headlong into things. I must live with it."_

Shaking his head silently, Revan allowed a small mental smirk at his own dark thoughts.

_"Or die with it."_


	24. Chapter 24: Fish People and Sith Lords

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 24: Fish People and Sith Lords

_"I know that I am Revan."_

Revan's words echoed through Bastila's mind and she pulled away when he tried to take her hand and explain that he could remember who he had been. Everything. When he told her he had known since before he had boarded the Endar Spire it had almost become too much for her to hear. Again and again the Jedi Code ran through her mind. After a long silence, Bastila shook her head.

"I-"

Bastila Shan was silent for a moment, staring at the man before her. He was telling the truth. The Padawan lowered her head, the loss of her father and her mother's sickness as well as the torment she had put herself through over this man running through her tired mind. Standing slowly, Bastila looked down at Revan. His face was blank though through their bond she could sense the misery he tried so hard to hide from her.

"So you are."

Bastila walked away, sealing Revan in the cargo hold that had become his home. She needed to meditate on this and speak with Juhani and perhaps the new addition to their crew. He had been a Jedi once and she thought perhaps he could help. Sitting on her bunk for a moment, Bastila buried her head into her hands and released a frustrated scream before she let exhaustion take her.

Carth Onasi sat in the pilot's seat of the Ebon Hawk with a deep frown on his face. A moment ago he could have sworn he had heard screaming. Shaking his head, the Republic Commander entered the course for Manaan and thought of his son.

_"I'll be there soon, son. I'm coming..."_

The sound of a doorway opening caused Carth to turn. Tauryn stood there, his face showed nothing. No anger, no annoyance. Nothing. Raising an eyebrow, Carth nodded to the Jedi. Tauryn nodded back, seating himself in the co-pilot's seat.

"What's up?"

Carth asked, hoping to get the answer as to the Jedi's robotic behavior. The Jedi's jaw clenched for a moment as he looked at the hyperspace trail.

"I lied to someone I shouldn't have."

Revan answered, self-loathing welling up inside him. Bastila was in shock when she had heard him say those words, Revan knew that much and now he could feel the turmoil that assaulted her unconscious mind. It was all his fault. Sneering, Revan glared into the blue-white hyperspace field.

_"Everything is my fault."_

The Sith were there, laughing at his foolishness as they destroyed the enemy he had nearly died dozens of times to score minor victories against. He now knew why they had fallen back to their homeworld. It was likely the massive fleet he had left behind upon his return to his empire was nothing more than floating debris or at best a minor nuisance to the Vong and Sith.

Turning to the Republic Commander, Revan entertained the idea of telling the man who he really was. Carth was likely to blast his brains against the cockpit or laugh at his _joke_. Seeing that the news of his son's survival had brightened the soldier's otherwise dark mood, Revan shook his head of the thoughts, knowing that it was rare for the Commander to be at peace and it was not his place to destroy that peace.

Jolee was speaking to Mission and Zalbaar about his experiences on Kashyyyk. The Wookiee wanting to hear how his world had fared in his absence and Mission eager to hear about her friend's homeworld. Juhani stood silent watch over Bastila. It was obvious to the Cathar that Revan harbored strong feelings for the young Padawan and Juhani felt she owed Revan. HK and T3 were shut-down to conserve power and recharge and Canderous was reading a report he had managed to intercept from a Republic comm line that showed the Sith's movements.

The Mandalorian's brow furrowed as he caught sight of something strange. The Sith were moving a massive fleet near the Raioballo sector. Brushing his chin for a moment, Canderous walked to the Hawk's starchart and checked the information. The name of a world caught his attention. Dantooine. Putting two and two together, the Mandalorian weighed his options. He had no love for the Republic or the Sith and could care less which side won the war. The Jedi he could care less for as well but Revan seemed to respect them to a point.

Shaking his head, Canderous decided to wait until they reached Manaan to tell flyboy or any of the Jedi. With all the racket Princess was making, Canderous decided it would be a lot less peaceful if he tipped them off to a Sith invasion of Dantooine.

Manaan was as Revan suspected, noisy and filled with angry mobs of Republic and Sith soldiers. Around every corner there was a fight between the two armies or an argument. Shaking his head, Revan looked over his shoulder at his companions. Juhani was observing the Sith and Republic forces on the watery world warily while Bastila stared directly at him, her face expressionless. For most of the journey to the Republic embassy Bastila did not take her eyes off the former Lord of the Sith. All the while her thoughts ran to what she would do about this revelation. Killing Revan was out of the question and turning him over to the Republic would have been a death sentence. Frowning, the Padawan's thoughts trailed to what she had been told about Revan's condition after his capture.

_"His mind is too badly damaged to ever fully restore his memories... if he is to live we must build a new person into the shell of what was once Revan..."_

Vrook had told her those words, as well as many of the other Masters. Only Zhar Leskin, Kavar, Atris and the Sunriders did not answer her question. A dreadful thought entered Bastila's mind and she cringed as she thought of what the implications of this man's restoration would be. If the Council had been telling the truth she would never have been in this position and if Revan truly had suffered massive neurological damage as she had been told, he would not remember their friendship, or at least not in the detail he seemed to.

Sighing heavily, the Padawan chose to remain silent of this revelation. Reporting Darth Revan's return to the Jedi Council was not something she looked forward to. A small part of her wanted to keep his true identity a secret.

_"Perhaps then he can..."_

Bastila's thoughts trailed off as she caught sight of a bald-headed Sith Lord. The man had a goatee and wore obsidian armor and robes, a double-bladed lightsaber hung from his waist.

"Bandon..."

Bastila whispered as she caught the Sith Lord's smirk. Shuddering, Bastila walked quickly towards the security of Revan and Juhani. Sith Lord or not, she would rather be in Revan's company that the traitor Bandon. Bandon had been a promising Jedi once and had willingly joined the Sith in his lust for power.

As she neared Revan and Juhani, Bastila noticed that Bandon had not escaped Revan's eye. For a moment the two Sith Lord's eyes locked and they glared silently at one another. Before she could say anything, the contest was over, Bandon turning away with a surprised expression. Turning to Revan, Bastila noticed his glare remained and his already significant presence in the Force had nearly doubled.

"We shouldn't linger here. If Bandon knows, so does Malak."

Revan was beginning to curse the Council for sending Bastila along. For one it was a fool decision to send the only thing keeping them from the end of Malak's saber right into his hands, but it was another thing completely to not send a single Master along on such a vital mission. For a moment, Revan began to doubt the sanity of the Jedi Council. True, Jedi were reckless at times but never as suicidal as their actions made them out to be.

Curious, Revan reached deep within the Force, sensing no Jedi on Manaan.

"Strange..."

The former Sith Lord muttered as he turned to Bastila.

"I would have expected a target as vital and valuable as Manaan to be under watch from the Jedi but we are the only ones here aside from the Sith who wield the Force effectively..."

Hearing this, Bastila paled and Juhani bristled. The Cathar glanced back at the vanishing form of Darth Bandon, a scowl reaching her lips.

"We will have to make certain that we are soon the only ones."

The Cathar voiced, much to Revan's approval and Bastila's surprise.

The Republic officer in charge of the embassy was very helpful, Revan decided it was time to take care of two problems at once and charged into the Sith embassy, his crimson and azure lightsabers ablaze as he cut through the dozens of Dark Jedi and Sith troopers. The Selkath were none the wiser and Revan was able to fight his way to the training facilities where he knew his target awaited him. Bastila and Juhani paced nervously in the Republic embassy. Bastila's worry growing as to Revan's decision. She had said nothing to him when he had told her what he planned and she waited, her thoughts running wild with the possibility that she may never see him again. It was then that she heard a shout.

Looking up, Bastila spotted several Sith troopers coming from an underwater docking port connected to the Republic embassy. Turning to her fellow Jedi, she nodded and quickly pulled her double-bladed saberstaff. Juhani pulled her saber and stood beside Bastila in a defensive stance as her blade came to life and deflected the deadly energy back to the faceless Sith troopers.

Revan eyed the room of Selkath apprentices warily. Apparently the Sith had been more ambitious on Manaan than he had given them credit for. Even with the Star Forge he would have never placed the Kolto shipments to his empire from the small blue world at risk but Malak or whoever was in charge of these operations in the wake of his absence were fool enough to think it would succeed.

_"Or greedy enough..."_

With a small bit of persuasion in the Force, Revan managed to convince the Selkath that the Sith were using them and gladly made his way to where Bandon awaited him. As the doors opened, Revan saw a group of half a dozen Dark Jedi and a Sith Master who he held to recognition of. Surprised by Bandon's absence, Revan did not hesitate to attack, cleanly decapitating one of the Dark Jedi with his right arm while his left and its weapon found its mark in another's chest. The other Sith dropped within seconds until all that remained was Revan and the Master.

"Lord Revan, it will be an honor to be the one that finally kills you!"

The Master stated arrogantly with an air of supremacy. Not wanting to hear the Sith Lord monologue for another half hour and sensing that Bandon was up to something, Revan raised his hand and sent the Sith Master flying into the bulkhead. A loud crack resounded through the room as the Sith Master's body fell lifeless to the ground.

"You sure finally killed me."  
Revan muttered, rolling his eyes for possibly the first time in his life.

Bastila, Juhani and the Republic garrison held the Sith troopers off until the appearance of Darth Bandon. The bald Sith Lord cut his way effortlessly through several Republic soldiers before he advanced on Juhani. Hearing his approach, Juhani dodged the attack, striking with her own single blade towards the Sith's wrist. Bandon felt a sharp pain in his left wrist and was stunned for a moment that the Jedi had even laid a glancing blow on him.

Dropping to the ground and rolling away, Bandon recovered quickly as the Cathar charged him with a hiss. Bringing his staff high to block, Bandon crouched and swept his leg under the Cathar, a move she anticipated as she leapt over his attack. Quickly raising his hand, Bandon halted the Cathar Jedi's movement and smirked as he swung his blade to Juhani's face.

A golden beam blocked the blow and Bandon felt himself being knocked backwards by the Force of the block. Surprised, the Sith Lord looked up to see his quarry, anger brimming in her eyes.

"Surrender, Sith Lord."

Bastila hissed, activating the other blade of her staff. Bandon snorted with no amusement, raising his hand and sending a blast of lightning towards the Padawan. Seeing that Juhani was not able to move out of the way, Bastila took the blast, blocking most of it with her saber. The blade flickered for a moment as the tendrils of lightning struck the cylinder. A moment later the golden light of her weapon died as the blue-white of the lightning coursed over her. The Padawan screamed in pain for a moment before it ceased.

Looking up from where she had fallen, Bastila saw Juhani standing before her, her crimson cloak pooled on the ground as the Cathar prepared for her rematch with Bandon.

"I will be your doom!"

The Cathar chanted as she rushed forward, slashing at the dazed Sith Lord as he struggled back to his feet from the push of the Force Juhani used to stop his assault on Bastila. Bandon ducked, lunging forward and spinning his staff in a flurry as he twisted away from Juhani's lunge. The Cathar cried out as one of his beams caught her thigh and dropped roughly to the ground. In the same motion, Juhani threw her saber to a recovered Bastila. The Padawan rushed quickly to her fellow Jedi's aid, blocking Bandon's first strike against Juhani and his counterstrike against her.

Bandon grew frustrated that he had not yet killed either of the troublesome Jedi. If he stayed around any longer there was a danger that other Republic soldiers or Jedi would arrive and corner him. Backing away, Bandon leapt back, vaulting himself off the wall and over Bastila's head. The Padawan raised her borrowed blade, striking Bandon's armor.

As the Sith Lord landed, he staggered for a moment, surprise on his face as he turned back to the Padawan. With a growl, Bandon rushed the Padawan, only to see her drop to the floor and kick both her boots into his abdomen, launching him over her position and into a bulkhead. Dazed and weary, Bandon stood just as an arc of azure light reached his vision, followed by the smell of burning flesh. The Sith Lord blinked once, then twice before his body dropped from his head and he fell into the oblivion of the Darkside.

Within moments, Revan burst through the doors of the Republic embassy, if it had not been for the Selkath trying to stop and question him he would have been here sooner. The former Dark Lord's fear turned to relief as he caught sight of a weary, but unharmed Bastila and an injured, but living Juhani. Seeing Revan, Bastila felt her weariness leave her. The Padawan strode over to the former Dark Lord of the Sith and wrapped her arms around him, burying her head into his chest. Surprised, Revan slowly raised on of his arms and gently rubbed Bastila's back. His eyes fell on Bandon's corpse and he felt a small amount of pride in the young woman in his arms and the one that stood a few feet away, shooing the Republic medics.

The Selkath chose to ignore the events within the Republic and Sith embassies, glad that it had no spilled over into their city streets. The young Selkath Revan turned from the Sith soon came forward and denounced the Sith, causing the Selkath to place heavy sanctions and taxes on the Sith.

Taking a submersible to the underground lab, Revan and Canderous tore through the insane Selkath that infested the station, killing every last one of them with brutal efficiency. Finding a pair of survivors, the two Mandalorians were able to find the Starmap and calm the gigantic Firaxan shark that had caused the devastation of the facility.

The Republic was not worried over the loss of their machinery, knowing that the recent sanctions against the Sith did not include them and glad that Bastila and her companions were able to fix most of the problems that had plagued them since the beginning of the Jedi Civil war.

Revan walked Juhani back from the Republic medical facility, watching the Cathar favor her uninjured leg slightly.

"It's a wonder what Kolto can do in a few hours..."

Revan muttered. Juhani nodded, content to be in the silent company of this man she felt herself respecting so greatly. A gruff voice stopped the Jedi's journey as they both took in the sight of a sickly violet-skinned Twilek. The man, if you could call him that, leered at Juhani, asking Revan if he could purchase the Cathar, all the time ranting about one he had to _put down_ on Taris. The mention of Taris was what had sent Juhani's building anger over the edge. With a roar, the Cathar lunged for the despicable man, only to collide with the outstretched arm of Revan.

"Remember the slavers on Kashyyyk."

Revan whispered into Juhani's ear. Glaring hatefully at the man, Xor, Juhani turned away, doing her best to ignore the man's ranting. That is until Revan calmly released his hold on her and struck the Twilek across the face with his right fist. The Twilek dropped to the ground like a stone.

"He will answer for what he has done..."

Juhani nodded, walking away as Revan stood over the unconscious Twilek. Cracking his knuckled, and popping the stiff joints in his neck, Revan sneered.

"Its been a while since I've tortured a man who truly deserved it."

Smirking, the former Sith Lord lifted the unconscious form over his shoulder, disappearing for several hours before returning to the Ebon Hawk in a clean set of robes and ready to get the Force away from Manaan.

Author's notes: I HATE copying stuff that's already happened. I hope you all enjoyed my version of Manaan... hehehe as for why Revan is being so dark you must keep in mind that during my entire story he remains relatively the same person... Not much Revan/Bastila stuff here because I wrote this entire thing at 4 in the freaking morning, Show some appreciation punks I've been up for 46 hours.


	25. Chapter 25: The Edge

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 25: The Edge

Death was all that Carth had seen since leaving the Leviathan's brig. Tauryn had gone on a rampage more suited to a Sith Lord than a Jedi Padawan but he didn't mind, didn't care as he ransacked a downed Sith's bandolier and replaced his spent blaster pack. The Jedi was nowhere to be seen but his trail of destruction was more than easy to follow. Bastila eyed the bodies warily. The face on some looked as though they were cowering or begging and it did not sit well with her. Neither had the darkness she sensed welling in Revan as soon as they escaped the Force cages. She had wondered briefly about the words he had spoken so quietly to Karath while she drifted between consciousness and the fear that crossed Karath's face as he brought his hand to his throat. Only the intervention of a guard saved the admiral's life, and Karath had ordered something before leaving. Something she wished she knew.

Carth had spoken briefly to her about Tauryn's, Revan's behavior and even brought up her own. She bowed her head a moment, ashamed. Revan had made it clear on Coruscant before he had fallen that he didn't want to jeopardize her position with the Jedi despite their feelings. When the question had again come up after Manaan, there was no doubt in her mind that she had crossed the line, kissing him as she had. She needed him there, the feelings of dread following Bandon's arrival on Manaan as well as the lingering darkness that seemed to be on the edge of her senses that she now knew was the destruction of Dantooine. She needed him more than ever and he had not resisted.

Bastila sighed as she brushed some sweat from her brow. Revan was not the danger, she was. His response to her had been all she needed to know, he was fighting the Sith for her. Not for his redemption, and she would give anything for him to see that it was not about her, but for the Jedi, for the Republic and the greater good. Gazing sadly down at the twisted and terrified expression on a savagely mangled Dark Jedi, she knew now that Revan would always linger in the darkness and would never truly return to the Jedi.

"Do you see that?"  
Carth asked, disbelief in his voice as he looked down the corridor to see Revan slicing his way through a dozen armored Sith troopers while four Dark Jedi, their crimson and violet blades still active fled in terror. The seemingly hundreds of blasterbolts passed by Revan, connecting with the bulkhead while the former Sith Lord decapitated one of the offending Sith and sliced another cleanly in two. Bastila felt herself growing nauseous as she saw a cloud of blood spray Revan as he tore his blade into another Sith's chest.

The fleeing Sith screamed as invisible hands grasped them and threw them with blinding speed and fatal force into the bulkheads, crushing bones and twisting flesh.

Then the laugh, cold and insane sounded, causing Bastila and Carth to pause, horror on their faces.

"Now you know the price of betrayal."

Revan's voice sounded in a manner Bastila had never heard it speak before.

"Tauryn!"

Bastila shouted down the corridor. Revan's head snapped to her, eyes glowing gold as he approached swiftly, slowing and tilting his head in acknowledgment.

"Yes?"

Revan asked, his voice regaining some of its natural sound. Bastila glanced nervously to Carth before looking back to Revan. There was something about him that didn't seem right. The aura around him was tense with something she could not place and he was sweating profusely. While the man had exerted himself to nearly the extent of a human body, Revan's substantial power in the Force should have made this less taxing on him. Bastila eyed his pale pallor with fear as she saw his eyes lose their glow. The eyes were glazed with something she couldn't tell. A mixture of pain and rage. Many said staring into the red-rimmed golden pallor of a Sith's eyes was like staring directly into malice, but Bastila knew now that those eyes held nothing. Staring into the eyes of a Sith was like staring into the cold endless nothingness of oblivion.

"You should rest, let Carth and I lead for the time being."  
"No."

Revan protested, his voice heavy with exhaustion and pain. Bastila reached into the bond she and Revan shared and sensed it then. Pain. The Padawan nearly fell to the ground as it struck her full Force. Revan grasped her to prevent her fall while Carth asked if she were alright.

"No, I think I better lead, watch her Carth."

Revan responded quickly as Bastila tried to steady her breathing and the pain that racked her brain as she eased from the bond she and Revan shared.

"Force..."

She muttered weakly, struggling to resist the urge to gag at the sheer amount of pain.

_"How can he stand THAT?"_

Blinking pained tears from her eyes, Bastila looked up into Carth's concerned eyes and suddenly became aware of the lack of Revan's presence.

"Where is he?"

She asked, alarmed. Carth nodded in the direction Revan had gone.

"Just sit here a moment. He'll clear the area then we can get you a stim or-"

"Its not me!"

Bastila screamed into Carth's face.

"Force, Admiral Karath must have poisoned him. It is from him, Carth. I sensed that pain, that sickness from Tauryn."

Carth's eyes widened a moment as he looked to where Revan had gone.

"Are you alright?"

He asked, Bastila nodded. Carth quickly took off in the direction Revan had gone, while Bastila leaned heavily against the wall, trying to purge the pain from her mind as she followed slowly.

"Tauryn!"

Carth shouted as he caught sight of the man's black cloak. Revan turned, eyeing Carth critically and looking past him to see if Bastila followed.

"You left her alone?"

He asked, anger lacing his voice.

"You're not well, we have to get you an antidote."

Revan laughed, shaking his head as he brushed his cloak's sleeve across his forehead and shuddered. A smear of blood remained unnoticed on his forehead from his blood soaked cloak. As Carth closed the distance he noticed with alarm that the blood vessels in Revan's eyes were ruptured and the whites of his eyes were not visible beneath the red of his blood.

"Sithspit, Tauryn."

Carth cursed as he glanced back to see Bastila coming around the corridor.

"We need to get there fast, Carth. Its working its way through my system and I can't fight it much longer. Go, now."

Carth nodded his understanding. They had to get to the bridge and unlock the hangar doors as quickly as possible. It would probably take days to purge the poison from Tauryn's system and that was time they didn't have. Revan ignored the crippling pain that shot through him, closing his eyes tightly a moment before turning and taking off in a sprint towards the Leviathan's bridge. Behind he could hear Bastila screaming at Carth but didn't care. Malak was near and he knew the others would have to be united to defeat him without his help.

Admiral Karath listened to the panicked chatter between troopers and dying screams over the comm station. For nearly a half hour, Revan and the Ebon Hawk's crew were rampaging through the Leviathan, killing everything that came across them. Ordering most of the troops to guard the halls to the bridge had been a mistake when one of Revan's companions, a young blue Twilek girl had hacked into the Leviathan's computer and decompressed the entire command deck save for the bridge. The remainder of the Leviathan's crew were relatively inexperienced and too small to stand in Revan's way.

_"Though they tried..."_

Karath sighed, eyeing the pistol in his holster. If it came down to it, better to die his own way that the way Revan had planned, had told him about.

No sooner than these thoughts had passed through Karath's mind did the doors to the bridge open to reveal a sight he couldn't believe. Revan was still standing, though Karath could see the poison he had injected into the Jedi's system was working.

_"He shouldn't even be able to breath..."_

Karath frowned as he pondered the implications.  
"Kill him."

He ordered, backing to the front of the bridge behind his guards and the Leviathan's crew. Behind Revan, two other forms approached, one grasping a golden lightsaber and the other twin blaster pistols.

"Ah, Carth. So good of you to join me. I take it you had some part in this?"

Carth resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Karath's arrogant statement.

"I'm coming for you, Saul."

Carth roared as he charged into the bridge, firing at the Sith troopers to his sides while Revan and Bastila deflected the incoming fire and moved against the three Dark Jedi guarding Karath. Karath's eyes widened as Revan effortlessly killed two of the Dark Jedi Masters and moved for him, the promise of a slow death in his eyes. Activating his shield, Karath was shocked when a blaster bolt struck him in his stomach before he could activate the switch. Revan halted, taking the time to deflect a blaster bolt back to a Sith trooper.

Carth smirked as he saw his blaster bolt strike Karath in his stomach. Turning, the Republic Commander fired into a nearby Sith's helmet as the trooper advanced with a vibroblade. A scream and one last shot took care of the final guard and Carth stalked past Revan to stand over Admiral Karath.

"Now you're going to pay for what you've done."

Carth promised. Revan coughed violently into his gloved hand, his eyes lingering on the blood he saw on them before looking back to Carth.

"I would say go on and take your time but we don't have all day. Shoot him again, leave him or take him along and have fun later-"

"That is NOT the way of the Jedi!"

Bastila snapped, eyeing Revan with a mixture of concern and anger.

"Do you think I care what the Jedi think?"

Carth heard Revan whisper to Bastila.

"Go on, Tauryn. I'll be along in a moment."

Carth called back as he saw Bastila deactivate the seal on the hangar bay. In intense pain, Admiral Karath looked disbelievingly between Revan and Carth before he called to Carth.

"Carth... Carth, listen to me..."

Bastila seemed to pale as she made the connection and Revan had already begun making his way across the bridge, shouting a curse to a squad of Sith troopers that rushed towards him.

"That is not this Tauryn you speak of, Carth. Didn't the Jedi tell you? That is Darth Revan. Their little pet and they are going to use him to destroy Malak and then the Senate."

Karath whispered. Carth glared at him hatefully as Karath laughed.

"You- You didn't know that, did you?"

Karath coughed as his body convulsed and fell still.

"No! Damn you Saul, no!"

Carth roared into the deceased Admiral's face. All the memories he held of Tauryn, the red lightsaber, the black robes, how the Jedi had commented again and again on his phenomenal progress in training. It all was too convenient for the Jedi not to have planned it.

"Dammit you knew about this didn't you, Bastila? You and the entire damned Jedi Council."

Bastila gazed at Carth imploringly, begging him to listen.

"Carth, don't. Please. He isn't the same... He isn't evil, Carth."

Carth gave an exasperated look as he shouted into Bastila's face.

"Isn't evil? He betrayed the Republic and turned on us and has singlehandedly been responsible for more innocent deaths in the galaxy since Exar Kun and you are telling me that monster isn't evil?"

Bastila listened to the screams of the dying Sith troopers outside and shot Carth a glare.

"Listen, Carth. I only found out on Manaan. He's been keeping it a secret. The Jedi tried to reprogram his mind but apparently he broke that barrier. Whatever his aims are now, he has had plenty of opportunities to murder us both in our sleep and take control of the Sith. His very existence could undermine Malak's hold on the Sith but if you kill him, here, now. Malak will win and the Republic will fall."

Carth listened, seeing the passion in Bastila's eyes and knew she was telling the truth. Dejectedly, he sighed and shook his head, his mind racing.

"Fine, alright. We'll wait until we get to the Hawk but the others have a right to know and I expect some answers."

"The others already knew..."

Bastila replied quietly, earning an astonished look from Carth.

"You and I, Lady are going to have a nice long talk after this. Make that everyone."

Carth threw his hands up in disgust, kicking Admiral Karath's corpse in the side to release his rage and stormed from the bridge, joining the fray. Bastila hung her head for a moment, feeling very tired suddenly before she shook her mind clear of her thoughts and joined Revan and Carth as they fought their way through the Leviathan.

"Just beyond these doors."

Revan grunted as his body trembled. Bastila pulled the sleeve of his tunic up, injecting him with an antitoxin they had found along the way. Revan nodded his thanks before removing his heavy cloak. He knew that all this had been a little too easy and that despite the antitoxin, the poison was still burning in his veins. Bastila pulled her glove off and held her hand to Revan's forehead, frowning.

"The fever has broken but... you're cold..."

Bastila's frown deepened.

"Too cold..."

Staring into Revan's pale features she felt something pulling in her chest that hurt. It felt almost like it had when she had heard of her father's death but this was different. Revan offered a small grin before his eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped to his knees, falling into Bastila's arms as she laid him on his back and frantically checked his pulse.

"Force, Carth, help me!"

Carth snorted, looking through the windows at the Ebon Hawk.

"Why?"

The Republic Commander muttered bitterly, spitting on the floor as if the very thought of helping Revan was a curse.

"Because-"

"Because he was your only hope."

Darth Malak's mechanical voice announced with glee. Carth turned pale before anger won over his fear and he turned, raising his blasters and firing.

"Down you go!"

Carth shouted, spraying the Sith Lord with as many blasterbolts as he could. Bastila cursed, looking between Revan and Carth as he was thrown into a bulkhead and Malak laughed gleefully.

"Oh this is too much! I come here expecting to be forced into a duel with my former Master and here my enemies have been delivered into my own hands! I will never doubt the Force again!"

Malak watched impassively as Carth glared at him and struggled to his feet, throwing his blasters into his holsters and priming a thermal detonator.  
"Go to Hell!"

Carth spat, throwing the grenade towards Malak. Malak gave a mechanical sigh as he waved his hand, shattering the deadly explosive before it could detonate. The metallic fragments of the detonator dropped to the deck with a clatter as Malak moved his hand and Carth began choking.  
"This isn't over, Malak!"

Bastila hissed, throwing her active saberstaff into the Sith Lord's direction. Malak's eyes widened in surprise as he dodged the attack, followed quickly by a counterattack as the blade danced around him in a deadly whirlwind. Bastila took the lightsaber from Revan's hand, trying her best to control the movements of her saberstaff as Malak hastily blocked the deadly weapon. Bastila depressed the switch to Revan's saber, shouting to Carth as she lunged for Malak.

"Get him out of here!"

Carth gasped for breath, nodding as he discovered how outmatched he was. Rushing to Revan's side the pilot lifted the fallen Jedi and quickly made his way down the corridors while Bastila struggled with Malak.

Reaching the Ebon Hawk, Carth threw Revan on the landing ramp, shouting for the others to help as he turned to make his way back for Bastila. The alarms in the hangar sounded as the doors sealed and the entire hangar began to decompress. Carth cursed, dragging Revan up the ramp and sealing the Ebon Hawk as he dropped to the floor with a weary and pained sigh. Reaching a hand to his side, Carth winced as pain blossomed where his hand hovered.

"Get us out of here!"

Carth ordered, his eyes lowering to Revan. In that instant he knew he couldn't hate Revan. The man beside him had proven himself already and had nearly died to get he and Bastila to the Ebon Hawk. Had Revan been conscious, Carth had no doubt who the victor would have been. Cursing Saul Karath once more, Carth struggled to his feet, panting heavily as he felt himself growing lightheaded.

Mission hurried to the landing ramp, worry etched in her features as she caught sight of Revan and Carth.

"What happe-"

"He's been poisoned, get him to Jol..."

Carth collapsed with a pained grunt as his vision when completely dark. Mission rushed to his side, running a hand along his head and finding blood on the azure fingers.

"This isn't good..."

Mission gently laid Carth on the deck, lifting the soldier's shirt and wincing as she saw the dark purple bruises along his ribs.

"Jolee!"

Mission screamed. Jolee and Zalbaar rushed to the loading ramp as Canderous shouted something back to them about incoming fighters, doing his best to maneuver out of range of the Leviathan's gravity well.

The Ebon Hawk vanished into hyperspace after destroyed a small picket of Sith fighters. Juhani climbed from the gunner's station and worriedly eyed the condition of the two men in the ship's small medical bay.

"Where is Bastila?"

She asked, receiving a small sob from Mission and a grim shake of the head from Jolee.

"Carth said something about her buying them time... and that Revan was poisoned. I've done all I can to clear the poison from his blood but..."

Jolee paused, a deep frown crossing his features.

"There's something about this poison that is disrupting his hold on the Force... Its not permanent but I think it was placed there to..."

Jolee shook his head in disgust.

"Make him more cooperative for Malak."

Juhani felt herself growing enraged.

"What of Bastila?"

Jolee winced, shaking his head.

"Malak won't kill her..."

The old man cast Mission a concerned look.

"He'll probably try torturing her until she breaks..."

Jolee whispered so only Juhani could hear. Juhani lowered her head, closing her eyes and reaching deep into the Force. Revan was beyond her reach, but she could still feel a trace of Bastila.

_"Don't worry, he's alright and we're coming..."_

Juhani sent the message as best she could, praying to the Force that Bastila would be able to hold out until they found where Malak was taking her.

Revan awoke a day later and after hearing the news said nothing. Carth attempted to question him several times over that day while they traveled to Korriban but Revan ignored him and anyone else, staring vacantly into space as he gathered his strength and built two new sabers to replace the one Bastila had taken and the one he had destroyed The last remnants of his connection to the Jedi Order and the Sith Order were destroyed and he felt in a way relieved that he would neither be marked as Jedi or Sith in the days to come, for he knew he would come to regret what he was going to have to do over the next few days. Korriban grew closer and Revan began calculating how long it would take for Malak to reach whatever outpost he was seeking.

_"It will either be Korriban or Rakata. If it if Korriban..."_

Revan absently brushed his hand along his lightsaber. There was no place for honor in this war anymore. Malak had crossed the line and as soon as he saw his former friend, he was a dead man.  
Two days after the escape from the Leviathan and a day after regaining consciousness, Revan felt Bastila's presence in the Force vanish from his senses. Clenching his fists, Revan eyed the console in the Ebon Hawk's cockpit.

_"Twenty hours until we reach Korriban... he must be taking her to Rakata..."_

Closing his eyes, Revan slowly began purging what remained of the poison from his system, grinding his hatred into a weapon he could strike Malak down with. Part of him wished he could have fought Malak on the Leviathan, but Karath's cowardice had saved that duel for another time and Revan felt doubt as to facing Malak. He knew Malak would leave Bastila alone, starving her until they reached Rakata. Then he would have her fed from his own table and then he would tie her down and fry her with lightning for several hours. That was to be expected but what Revan truly dreaded was what he would find when he arrived.

Bastila would either be dead or Malak's apprentice. The means by which Revan and Malak broke Jedi was swift. The longest any Jedi had ever held out was six days and he had died from his injures in that final session. Revan sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he breathed a curse. He could still taste his own blood and his eyes were still blurry. The poison seemed to limit his ability to heal himself and he would feel a lot better when he regained his complete abilities in the next day or two.

Leaning back heavily into the copilot's seat, Revan stared into the hyperspace stream, promising himself that he would not stop until Bastila was safe again.

Author's Note: Okay, sorry about the delay, I was otherwise occupied (Being lazy) Give me a freaking break I just broke a hundred thousand words with this chapter! Plus I was having trouble deciding whether to write the little Revan/Bastila scene on the Ebon Hawk or not. Obviously I chose to skip it and make a reference to it. I hope I didn't disappoint any die hard fans but I thought that it added to the feelings Bastila felt and was... right for how I chose to write it. I hope there is continuity here and if anyone sees a problem, please I appreciate any constructive criticism.


	26. Chapter 26: The Lion's Den

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 26: The Lion's Den

The reflection in the mirror was not something Revan had seen in a long time. The pale, sickly pallor of his skin and the ruptured blood vessels in his eyes. Running a hand along his face, Revan sighed, staring once more at his reflection.

Lifting a small vibroblade, Revan began shaving away the hair on his face, removing the stubble and the disheveled goatee that he had worn for several years. Next came his short, spiky hair. Revan meticulously cleared all hair except his eyebrows from his head and rinsed the blade as he sheathed it in a scabbard within the obsidian robes he wore.

Splashing some water on his face, Revan ran his hand along his cool skin.

_"The poison is still clearing..."_

Jolee didn't sense it, neither did Juhani or the medical scanners but Revan knew his body as he did every component of his lightsaber. It was as much a weapon as that was and he needed to know he could wield it. Closing his eyes, the former Dark Lord struggled to clear the majority of the poison's remnants. It had taken three days to reach Korriban. One he spent unconscious and the other recovering.

_"This one I spend working."_

Glaring at his reflection one last time, Revan made his way to the Ebon Hawk's galley.

Carth looked up from the datapad that seemed to constantly find its way into his hand. The report he had filled out over the true identity of Tauryn Katarn as well as his reports on what he had learned of the Sith had been completed since Revan had awoken but he refused to send it, as well as Revan's death sentence to the Republic. The first thing Carth noticed was the lack of a beard, which made Revan look years younger. The next was the pale pallor of his skin. Frowning, Carth nodded. Revan returned to gesture, seating himself across from Carth and eyeing a lightsaber casing with irritation.

"I guess I shouldn't have smashed my other one on Kashyyyk."  
Revan smirked slightly, but his eyes didn't glint as they did when he found any humor in the situation. Carth gave a single chuckle before shaking his head.

"Ever try one of these?"

Carth removed an obsidian blaster from his side and tossed it to the former Dark Lord. Revan caught the weapon effortlessly, testing the balance and nodding as he eyed the weapon.

"Family heirloom?"

Revan asked, handing the blaster back to Carth, grip first. Carth paused a moment as he cupped his hand around the blaster's grip. He noticed with some guilt that Revan trusted him enough to offer him the weapon in that manner. A simple slip of his finger could sent a deadly bolt into Revan's abdomen. Carth let out a breath he had been holding and pulled the weapon from Revan's grasp, holstering it and nodding towards the hilt and the azure crystal Revan had been polishing and from what he could tell, cutting for the past seven hours before he had taken his little break.

"Its not going to be ready for another day. I had to grow the crystal and it needs another two weeks at least to crystalize..."

Revan scowled, setting the sapphire gem on the table and running a rag along the unfinished saber's hilt. Both men sat in silence for some time before Carth finally spoke.

"What do you think he's going to do to her?"

Carth didn't think he wanted to know, but part of him had to, needed to know what would happen. The Republic officer couldn't help but feel that if he had been a little quicker and a little less distracted by Revan's true identity that he may have been able to buy Bastila enough time to escape. Revan stopped polishing the silver and azure hilt of the saber and slowly placed it with practiced care on the table. Leaning back slowly, Revan crossed his hands over his lap and shook his head.

"Unless he's changed anything... Bastila classifies as a class one prisoner. She will be as unspoiled as they can make her so no dismemberments or... things that could damage her psyche..."

Carth noticed the disgust and relief that seemed to be in Revan's face as he said that and didn't want to know any more details on what that damage would happen to be.

"He will keep her isolated... only he will see her. Cut her off from the Force... That would be comparable to sealing you in a sensory depravation tank and filling it with water..."

Carth felt his face flushing with anger and nodded as Revan continued mechanically. The former Dark Lord brought his left hand to the side of his head and tapped it for emphasis.

"He will try getting into her head. Use the recent loss of her father and the bitterness that is there of the Jedi for separating her to make her lose her loyalty to them. Then he will try to convince her that he is trying to help her see a greater power that was denied by the Jedi... a power that would have given her the strength to go against the Jedi and their teachings and what would have allowed her to see her father... he will likely use her... mother..."

Revan's eyes seemed to gloss over a moment as what remained of the poison clouded his senses. Carth furrowed his brow at the pause but waited for Revan to continue.

"He will use her relationship with her mother... something the Jedi have only in the last four decades forbidden, to make her see the Jedi's error. She will of course be strong and defiant, saying she won't fall for such a blatant lie but the truth is... it isn't a lie. The Jedi are flawed as much as the Sith are and there will be doubt... there is always doubt. He will starve her for three days... He should be taking her from her cell right about now and setting her at his own table."

Revan shook his head. Obviously to Carth, this was something Revan was very familiar with.

"Without the Force she can't channel the pain... She is so stubborn and prideful... That stubbornness will tell her she doesn't want to die the death he has planned for her and she will eventually eat regardless of how much she hates him or mistrusts him. She will need her strength..."

Revan trailed off, his jaw clenching as his eyes burned.

"The food is drugged and will slowly counteract the Force inhibitor she was given. He will torture her then, either by beating her or striking her with weak blasts of Force-lightning, taunting her the entire time that if she would embrace her anger the Force would not abandon her as it had. By the sixth day she will not be able to ignore her hatred of him no matter how much she tells herself Jedi don't hate. Malak will taunt her with what he knows of her, possible undermine her loyalty by telling her what I did to him..."

Carth noticed Revan's anger diminished.

"And she will be right to listen to what he has to say about me..."

Revan whispered, though Carth heard most of it.

"The seventh day... a week is all it takes to know if you've changed the Jedi's opinions or broken their sanity. If her sanity is broken he will kill her. If not she will embrace her anger and that... boost in her strength will break what remains of the Force inhibitor. Giving the illusion of the Darkside freeing her from the Jedi's lies."

Revan sneered as he spoke those last words.

"The eighth day he will have her murder someone to prove she is loyal. Preferably a captured Jedi or Republic soldier. If she fails to do so she will die but none have refused to kill on that day... Their doubts are lost to their anger and wish for vengeance. She will do anything to punish who she feels is responsible for what has been done to her."

Revan ran his hand along the table before forming a fist and tapping the table once.

"There is no flaw in the plan. You gain an ally or you lose an enemy. There is no escape."

Carth noticed the bitterness in Revan's eyes though none made its way to his face.

"We're landings in an hour. Comm traffic has us listed as the Raven's Claw to avoid any contracts that are out for the Ebon Hawk."

Revan nodded his head, eyeing his unfinished lightsaber with distaste before he attached the incomplete weapon to his belt and placed the crystal in a small pouch.

"No sense letting them think I am defenseless."

The former Sith Lord muttered. Carth nodded, eyeing his datapad once more before shaking his head and clearing the information he had entered about Revan.

_"I'm not going to stab him in the back. Its clear he's not the monster I thought he was..."_

Carth resolved, though that didn't mean he was going to make it easy for Revan.

"Who is going with you?"

Revan rose an eyebrow, clenching his jaw a moment before he spoke.

"Mission."

Carth didn't like that, and he said so. Aside from wanting to see his son, Carth didn't think placing the young Twilek in danger was an acceptable scenario. To which Revan pointed out that he himself could be recognized and that Zalbaar or Canderous, even Juhani would attract too much attention.

"I want you to take the Hawk away as soon as we land. I need to have free reign here..."

"Why not someone older?"

Carth snapped. Revan shook his head.

"She is posing as my slave... A young Twilek girl doesn't stand out as much as a Cathar or a Wookiee does. Stealth is key."

Carth rose a brow at that.

"Slave? You're posing as a slave trader?"

Revan shook his head.

"No, I am posing as a Dark Jedi with questionable morals. What I need for you, Carth Onasi to do is this. I need you to head to Kashyyyk and drop Zalbaar off. He has many things that need to be done there and will be very important in the years ahead..."

At Carth's confused look, Revan rose his hand to stop the coming question.

"I need you and Jolee and Juhani to go to Coruscant and speak with the Republic and Jedi. If you can..."

Revan pulled a datapad from his cloak and handed it to Carth.

"That is encrypted and I would prefer you personally deliver it to either of the Master Sunriders or Master Atris of the Jedi Council... Kavar if you can't find anyone else..."

Carth nodded, eyeing the datapad warily.

"What's the passcode?"

Revan shook his head.

"Tell them who gave it to you and they will know."

Carth nodded, though he didn't look convinced.

"You promise me you'll find my son... If this is the only way you think this will work..."

Revan shook his head.

"We could always bomb the place into oblivion with the Republic fleet but this is the only way I can think of getting your son as well as the information we need from there..."

Carth nodded reluctantly.

"If we don't make contact in two weeks..."

Carth looked like he would explode.

"Joining the Sith and passing their trials is no easy task. Even when they are looking for apprentices. If we do not make contact in a month I have estimated the section of space the Star Forge is in. It may take months to scour the area but if that is what it comes to..."

Carth sighed, nodding as he stowed the datapad in his cloak.

"Why are you taking Mission?"

Carth asked in a whisper. Revan smiled, shaking his head.

"She can get to places I cannot. I trust her abilities... We can get a lot of information without being caught as early as we would otherwise."

The Republic Commander did not look convinced but did not question Revan's reasoning.

"If I don't hear from you in two weeks I am personally coming back here with an entire Fleet to bomb that rock."

Revan smirked, offering Carth his hand. Carth took the Sith Lord's hand and shook it before turning and leaving the man in peace.

"Why do you get to have all the fun? I think you should face the lightsabers of the Council instead of me. I'm too old for this."

Jolee joked, entering the galley. Revan nodded to the old man, his thoughts elsewhere.

"I need you to tell them about the Sith. The real Sith and the threat they represent. If they could eradicate the Vong with ease... I hate to think of what they can do to the Republic. They wouldn't trust me but you... you they might if they bother to read you."

Jolee scoffed, crossing his arms and shaking his head as he looked to the deck.

"Where are you going after Korriban?"

Revan eyed the aged former Jedi with suspicion.

"So I am going to survive this place?"

Jolee nodded, though he did not like giving away too much of what the Force had shown him.

"Corellia... I have some... old friends waiting for me there."

The aged former Padawan looked just as suspicious as Revan had before; he nodded slowly.

"Just don't do anything you can't live with, kid."

Revan nodded, bowing slightly to Jolee and ignoring the annoyed sound the man made. He knew the gesture was appreciated.

The Ebon Hawk landed and departed the Dreshdae port, leaving behind two of its crew. Revan spoke lowly to Mission for a moment before she bowed her head, keeping her eyes trained on the base of his cloak as she followed him into the port. The Czerka port authority said nothing to Revan as he passed. The sight he saw was nothing more than another Sith returning to the Academy with a slave in tow.

Revan made his way through the halls, annoyed immensely when a young Sith apprentice clad in the gray uniform of the academy asked his opinion on what to do with some terrified, Force-blind citizens. Revan gave the young man, Shaardan, a death glare that silenced him. Fear was apparent in the man's eyes as he stared into the stern, pale features of Revan's visage.

"Why do you waste your time with such things? Are you not here to learn the ways of power? The ways of the Sith? You are nothing more than a foolish hoodlum, a child wielding a weapon that is too heavy. Get out of my sight, scum."

The tone of voice left nothing to question. Sensing the challenger's power, Shaardan paled considerable and nodded, making a hasty retreat and trying to save face by insulting the worth of the civilians one last time.

"Oh thank you so much!"

A young Twilek woman praised as Revan cast his glare towards her, shaking his head once and passing without a second glance.

"We need to get inside the Academy. The only way I can see that will be successful will be for me to pose as a Sith apprentice. You're just a decoration, Mission. Until we get past the guard."

Revan spoke lowly as he and Mission stood outside the Dreshdae gates. Mission nodded, grinning as she thought of the havoc she could wreak on the Sith databases. Revan began walking, waving to Mission to follow with an air of superiority as he approached the sentry, ignoring the four other men standing outside the gates.

"No one can enter these halls except students of the academy or the Sith."

The trooper snapped to attention as he spoke, though his hand rested on the handle of his blasterrifle. Revan's eyes traveled to the soldier's weapon and then back to the reflective faceplate before a smile crossed his face.

"How would one gain entry into this installation."

Revan questioned.

"You must hold an emblem of the Sith academy and have been accepted by either Master Uthar or Master Yuthura Ban."

The former Lord of the Sith nodded, keeping his Force suggestion as light as he could so as not to alert any nearby Sith.

"Were would one such as I find one of these... Masters."

The trooper explained that Yuthura Ban enjoyed a drink in the cantina in the evenings and describe the woman to Revan. Revan bowed his head, thanking the trooper and leaving, eyeing a nearby Sith apprentice, Mekel, with distaste.

"Do you really find the misery of these pathetic lifeforms so amusing that you would subject yourself to Korriban's mid-day heat?"

The apprentice seemed to ponder what Revan had said before nodding and eyeing the doors that led to the cool interior of the Academy.

"I suppose a little break is called for."

The Sith nodded to Revan, passing the three Sith hopefuls and giving them one last encouraging speech before entering the Academy. Revan turned to the men, shaking his head.

"Fools. The Sith look for leaders, strength. You are only weakening yourself."

The former Dark Lord ignored the men's comments and turned, Mission trailing behind him, trying not to glance back with worry at the men as they spoke amongst themselves.

"Why are they doing that?"

She asked when they were out of earshot. Revan shook his head, clenching his jaw.

"They want to be Sith and someone told them that was the only way..."

Revan shook his head once more.

"Poor fools."

Upon entering Dreshdae, Revan took note that there were a lot of Sith students wandering the corridors and taunting citizens. The surprising thing to Revan was the sheer amount of students that had nothing to do. When he had been Dark Lord students were either training or unconscious. Too tired to train and too exhausted to bother the denizens of the small port. Frustrated even more by the decay of what had once been a strong and nearly flawless system, Revan ignored those around him until something caught his attention.

Mission winced as a Sith grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, groping her. Revan turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as he saw Mission fight the urge to fight the offending Sith. Several other Sith nearby gave catcalls and other, despicable comments.

As Mission was about to give the offending Sith a nice kick in his groin, the man's grip on her ceased as he grasped his throat and made a sickening gurgling noise. Blood leaked down the man's throat as he gurgled in pain. The other Sith fell silent as the dull thump of the man's body hitting the floor sounded.   
Revan sneered as he grasped the man's collar, lifting the dying Sith to his height and shoving him with disgust against the wall, driving the small vibroblade into the center of the man's chest, just below his breastplate, effectively pinning the Sith to the wall behind him. The man struggled a moment in pain before his body shuddered and he fell still. Revan drew his arm back, slamming his elbow into the man's limp face before ripping the vibroblade from his chest.

Mission stared with wide eyes at the sight, sickened by all the blood.

"Hey what the Hell! I think someone here is looking for a fight!"

One of the other Sith shouted to his companions. Before any could agree with him, Revan's vibroblade was imbedded between the man's eyes and he fell against the wall, sliding to the floor with a dull thud. The vibroblade seemed to twist in the man's skull, making a sickening cracking sound before it slowly came free of the man's head and floated back to Revan's hand.

"I think you need to lie down."

Revan called to the corpse. The other Sith had gone ash white, quickly leaving what they now believed to be an enraged Master alone in the corridor. Revan knelt beside one of the Sith's corpses, pulling a small metallic emblem from the body and then wiping the blood from his weapon on the man's uniform.

Revan stood, sheathing the blade and placing a hand on Mission's shoulder.

"Thank you for not blowing our cover. I am sorry that had to happen... I'll make sure to keep my eyes open next time."

Mission nodded, numbly. Her eyes stinging as she crossed her arms over her chest and followed Revan silently, and much closer.

Note: Just a little chapter setting up my favorite level in KOTOR. Hope you enjoyed it!


	27. Chapter 27: Flickering Light

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 27: Flickering Light

Revan smirked as he saw the Sith that had retreated return. With just the person he was looking for no less. Yuthura Ban eyed the former Sith Lord a moment with passive indifference before laying her eyes on Mission and then turning her cold, violet gaze back to the Mandalore.

"Murdering academy students is punishable by death..."

The violet-skinned Twi'lek spoke with boredom. Revan took quick notice of the slave tattoos covering the young woman's body and sensed her aura. While dark with anger and bitterness there was something there that Revan quickly placed in the back of his mind for later reference. There was compassion, pity.

"I meant no offence to such a lovely young lady but I must protect my property..."

Boredom quickly turned to fury as Yuthura narrowed her eyes. Seeing the reaction, Revan kept his features as stoic as possible.

"I see... Perhaps a lesson is in order, Jedi."

Revan sneered at the title.

"I am no Jedi!"

The former Dark Lord snarled, pulling his cloak from his arms to reveal his lightsaber. As Revan's hand traveled to the useless weapon, Yuthura smiled.

"I see there is much promise in you... to kill two students with little trouble. But I must see this for myself."  
Turning to the students that had reported the incident to her, Yuthura nodded towards Revan.

"Kill him... if you can."

Secretly, the Sith Master hoped her students would triumph so she could free the young Twi'lek that stared at the scene with growing worry. Knowing that their chances were higher facing a stranger rather than a Sith Master, the four remaining students bowed their heads in quick acknowledgment, three forming a circle around Revan and the fourth moving towards Mission.

Yuthura's eyes widened a moment as she saw the fourth student lunge for Mission as she activated her blade. Perhaps her plan would backfire. Sighing, Yuthura lowered her head, slowly closing her eyes and shaking her head of the thoughts.

Revan was not about to let that come to pass. The fourth Sith found herself rather inconvenienced when she realized she couldn't breath. Fighting against Revan's hold, she never had a chance to break it as he leapt from his three assailants and twisted her own weapon from her hand , severing her head in the same motion.

"I think this party is just getting started."

Revan sneered as he fought the urge to laugh at the bewildered looks on the three other Sith's faces. They were probably just processing that he was no longer trapped and that their companion was dead. Then, Revan felt a lightsaber burn his side and rolled to avoid being wounded further. Mission apparently had not seen him decapitate anyone before since her scream had distracted him for the split second it required for one of the three remaining students to take advantage.

The distraction did not go unnoticed either. Yuthura Ban narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she saw the troublemaker roll from the attack and continue moving away from his opponent as the student followed with an active, crimson blade. The parry Revan used to block the attack as he rose was weak, but effective and he quickly recovered his balance, deflecting several of the attacks from his opponent before the other two had maneuvered behind him and struck. Revan dropped beneath the three blades as they moved to strike him, spinning on the ground as he ducked, taking off one of the Sith's legs and grazing another's.

The uninjured Sith pressed the attack, driving his weapon downward, towards Revan, only to have the blade deflected by Revan's. Revan followed through by kicking the man's stomach, hard. The Sith fell back, striking the wall as Revan rolled and came to his feet, killing the maimed Sith and moving for the one he had injured. The Sith hastily raised his blade, only deflecting two of Revan's blows before the third clipped his saber's hilt and tore into his defenseless chest.

Revan turned quickly from the incapacitated opponent to see the man he had kicked running down a corridor.

"I think, not."

Raising his hand, Revan sent a savage pulse of Force energy towards the man in a stream of lightning that ripped through the center of the man's torso, killing him instantly. As the body dropped, Revan turned to his first concern, Mission. The young Twi'lek was rubbing her face frantically and Revan took quick note of the severed head lying on the floor at her feet.

"Mission! Look at me!"

Revan shouted, pulling the girl's hands from her face.

"Its alright..."  
Revan whispered, seeing that some of the blood from the severed head was smeared across Mission's face. The Twi'lek closed her eyes, fighting the urge to cry. Revan slowly reached up, running his hand along her cheek as he felt guilt rising within him. No matter how tuff and street smart Mission was and no matter how skilled she was, Mission was still a child.

Seeing the interaction between the _slave_ and Revan, Yuthura felt her anger deflating towards the young man. Apparently he called his slaves by name and held some concern for their well-being. Something she could say her former Master had never bothered with. The man also ignored the saber wound in his side as if it were nothing. Taking note of the wound, Yuthura saw that indeed it was not critical and was surprised still at the man's fighting style.

Revan's fighting style was something Yuthura had never seen before. It seemed much more chaotic than the Jedi or Sith's fighting forms. She had seen dominant elements of Ataru and she had seen a trace of Makashi within the form. Which she could not believe someone so young could know, even she only knew several of the motions to what some believed to be the most complicated, yet elegant lightsaber stance.

As she thought on the fight further, Yuthura noticed that the man used a blending of all of the seven major lightsaber forms and suspected he knew all the aspects of the Sith's variants as well. Intrigued, Yuthura forced herself to look past the young man's flaws and smiled, knowing she had found her way to overthrow Uthar.

"Well done."

Yuthura was genuinely pleased. If she could convince this young man to enter the Academy, she knew it would only be a matter of time before Uthar would be doomed. She could already tell that this man was a leader, not a follower.

_"Likely the reason he is no longer a Jedi..."_

Revan took notice of Yuthura finally, his second priority and tilted his head respectfully in acknowledgment. Yuthura immediately frowned at the gesture.

_"That was out of place... perhaps he merely has a bad temper..."_

Shaking her head of the thoughts, Yuthura invited Revan to join her in the local bar, the Drunk Side. Revan smiled, a smile void of any kindness and bowed his head. Following closely behind Yuthura and ignoring the Sith corpses that littered the floor. Mission followed at a more sedate pace, wiping her face and shivering slightly as she looked between the corpses and Revan. She didn't know why she had screamed, but being struck by a severed head and getting a taste of the blood had been a little much after seeing Revan savagely kill the other two Sith.

_"All that blood..."_

Feeling extremely out of place and starting to regret coming along, Mission did her best to ignore the violence she could literally feel around her.

"That was very impressive. I can tell that you have some substantial Jedi training and I can tell that you also use some of the Sith's techniques... Would you by chance be interested in telling me how exactly you have come about that?"

Yuthura asked, sipping on a glass of Alderanian ale. Revan gave Mission a calculating stare a moment before telling her to get cleaned up and turning back to Yuthura. The violet-skinned Twi'lek's eyes followed Mission with concern as she went, by herself to the refresher.

"Are you certain that is wise?"

She asked, momentarily forgetting her interview of her newest protégée. Revan reached out with the Force, sensing Yuthura's genuine concern and backed away subtly, so as not to alert her to his presence.

"I am aware of her at all times..."

Revan replied, using the Force to make certain she was in no real danger. Physically at least. Yuthura nodded, her eyes narrowing as she felt a shiver climb her spine. She knew this man had sensed her pity, her weakness and did not like it at all.

"As I was saying... how did you learn such a fighting style? It is hardly on par of what the Jedi teach."

Revan rose an eyebrow at that.

"You were a Jedi once?"

Yuthura chuckled darkly, taking another drink of her ale and nodding.

"Weren't we all?"

Revan smiled sadly, nodding as well.

"I suppose. I learned to fight that way in the war. One must learn the ways of his or her enemies if they are to triumph."

Revan's smile faded as he thought over exactly what he had said. He had known the ways of the Mandalorians and had as such triumphed over them, becoming in all rights the new Mandalore and while fighting the Vong he had begun to emulate their savage apathy towards all obstacles. Now with the emerging threat of the True Sith, Revan felt a cold fear clench his heart as he thought of what more he could sacrifice of himself, how much more of himself he could give to the fight until he lost who he was.

It had nearly happened during the first years of the wars, but he had fought it, twisted the corrupting power of the Darkside to his own will to turn it against the Mandalorians and later the Vong and Jedi. It had been more than successful against the Jedi and his own people, but the Vong were strange to him. They had no presence within the Force and the normal attacks didn't seen to work at all.

As he fell further and further into the Darkside, Revan noticed though it was barely perceptible, that his efforts against the Vong were finally beginning to pay off. Pointless as it was, the True Sith had turned to the Vong threat, destroying them by the tens of thousands in a way Revan could only speculate on. How Jolee and perhaps the Jedi had known about it while he, the man who had led the charge against the wrong enemy and given more of himself than he believed he could afford to vanquish them.

_"Such a waste..."_

Revan's jaw clenched, drawing Yuthura's attention. She hated to admit the man's presence was calming, sickened as she was that he was a slave owner. There was something about his aura that made her wary, yet trusting of him. She couldn't describe it but she knew it was a weakness, one that she could not afford as a Sith. Banishing the thought, the Sith Master took notice of Revan's detached demeanor and how he had withdrawn from the conversation when they had touched on the subject of war.

Eyeing his physique, Yuthura knew this man was a well build and trained warrior, and was beginning to wonder how such a promising youth could go unnoticed by the Sith recruiters and spies. That thought was crushed with anger as she realized quickly why.

_"They would report to Uthar, not I."_

Sneering, Yuthura noticed the young, azure-skinned Twi'lek girl had returned and that Katarn was too distracted by his own thoughts.

"Where are you from?"

Yuthura asked, smiling genuinely at the startled look that crossed Mission's features. Whether she knew it or not, Mission's growing fear of this planet had helped her performance.

"I-I uhm, I'm from Taris..."

Mission replied nervously, feeling the stab of pain and anger at the thought of her world's destruction. Yuthura frowned, sensing the anger and pain in the young girl.

"It was Malak that destroyed that world, little one. Not the Sith. We are not all mindless murderers...Not all Sith are monsters..."

Those worlds tasted bitter in her mouth. Yuthura knew that was what she had been told and for a time believed when she had joined the Sith. For a time it had been true, until Revan had disappeared for a time and left Malak and his other Commanders in charge. It had quickly gone downhill until Revan finally returned. For a moment, Yuthura felt the hope that Revan would cleanse the Sith of their corruption, the corruption she felt eating away at herself, but Revan had been betrayed by Malak and killed.

In the end, Yuthura knew all she could do was survive. If she left the Sith she would be hunted by both sides of this war and if she stayed where she was she would have to worry constantly over which academy student would try to murder her at Uthar's request. She needed to take Uthar's title and use it to get away from Korriban. Perhaps then she could make a difference, go back to Sleheyron and free the slaves there from whatever Hutt had taken Omeesh's place.

At the thought of Omeesh the Hutt, Yuthura's mind raged with uncontrollable hatred. The things she had been subjected to by that creature's barbarism was enough, enough for her to justify ignoring the atrocities she had seen on Korriban. Some which she was beginning to participate in.

Feeling renewed of her hatred, Yuthura cast Revan a cold glare. The satisfaction she felt at killing Omeesh she would grant this man's slave. She would use him and then have his own servant deliver the killing blow. She was certain from the anger she sensed in the young woman that she would have no qualms with killing a man who sought to join those that had destroyed her world, the man who had enslaved her.

Revan thought of that word again. _Waste._ That had been all his efforts were in the end. He had become the Dark Lord of the Sith to destroy the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong and had failed. Failed where the Sith had triumphed. Revan began to feel sick, his jaw clenching once more as he saw the faces of the Jedi he had murdered or turned. The face of a young, sixteen year old Padawan crossed his mind a moment.

_"Selene..."_

That young girl with those blue eyes that reminded him so much of Bastila. He remembered closing those eyes, so dead and gray with his gloved hand and burying her on this very world. He had said, reassured himself that she was a casualty of the Jedi's teachings but that wasn't true. She, like so many others was a casualty of his own mistakes.

"Hmm?"

Revan asked, snapping himself from his thoughts. Mission now sat at the table with he and Yuthura, glancing nervously between the two.

"I asked if you were interested in training at the Academy. You have more than proved you would make an excellent Sith."

_"I would make an excellent Sith..."_

Revan allowed the guilt to flow through him at that. Whoever the True Sith were, the Jedi had chosen to ignore the Mandalorian threat to remain strong enough to fight them. They had abandoned that mandate to destroy the threat he had created beyond their eyes. The threat he had made in the hopes of defeating what he believed to be the true enemy of the galaxy.

_"The Darkside is the enemy, Padawan. The greatest battles you will fight will be with yourself. The true war between the lightside and the dark is not from the armies of the Sith or Jedi, but within each of us... Do not let the Darkside twist you as it has so many before us..."_

They were some of the last words Kreia had spoken to him as a Jedi Master, before she had left in search of something beyond the Outer Rim. She had returned to join his Sith, helping as best she could to turn the Jedi though she was never direct when she referred to the _threat_ that existed beyond the Rim. Revan suspected she knew all along and was waiting for her headstrong student to figure it out for himself.

_"You always had a way of slapping me in the face..."_

Revan sighed, swirling the remains of his drink around a moment before finishing the potent alcohol off.

"Of course I'm interested. Why else would I waste my time on this bloody rock."

Yuthura Ban smiled, closing her eyes as she nodded; imagining where she could get with such a powerful student to bend to her will. No doubt she could use him to destroy the other students and perhaps even use him to destroy Uthar.

"We should go then... is the girl coming as well?"

She asked, nodding towards Mission. Revan glanced at Mission a moment before nodding.

Uthar was a long-winded and overall power-hungry person as far as Revan was concerned, though he did sense some intelligence. The Sith Master of the Academy had seemed intrigued by Revan, though he was careful to conceal this and channeled most of his questions through the other gathered students. Revan had briefly seen recognition flash in the Sith's eyes before he felt the man dismiss his own thoughts. The former Sith Lord rubbed a hand across his bald head and his cleanly shaven face, glad that he had taken the precaution of at least making himself less-recognizable.

Sighing, Revan turned to Mission, glad that the chambers for the newest academy students were not monitored, at least not this one as far as he could tell.

"We should start searching for Carth's son, then find the quickest way to the Starmap. We cannot linger here for long."

Mission nodded numbly, not enjoying this world as much as she had any of the others she had gone to on their little adventure. Revan glanced at Mission in silent concern a moment before deciding the best way to keep her mind off things was to keep her busy.

"Lets go, I need someone who can bypass a lock to get me into the archives. I want to see what Malak has done in the two years since I've seen them."

Mission smiled faintly at the poorly veiled compliment and followed Revan, only to find the young Twi'lek woman who had invited them into the academy was waiting. Yuthura smiled cooly towards Revan, her headtails twitching a moment before she spoke.

"Ah, so here is my favorite prospective student..."

Revan was slightly surprised he had not sensed the Twi'lek's approach but did not show it, feigning interest as he spoke with a slightly bored tone.

"Your favorite student?"

Revan could easily sense the deceit, though he credited Yuthura's ability to hide most of her intent.

"I have a proposition for you... if you're interested."

Chancing a quick glance towards Mission, Revan smirked at the offer, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"Absolutely."

Yuthura proceeded to explain several methods Revan could go about gaining prestige and becoming a Sith all the sooner. Revan accepted the terms for that information graciously. Uthar was too power hungry to be useful to any plans he held.

Revan frowned as he felt himself weaken significantly. A cold chill ran down his spine as he fought to control the bile rising in his throat. Grasping the wall for support, Revan was grateful he had returned to his quarters after his meeting with Yuthura. Currently, the young woman was speaking with Mission about something Revan did not care to know. He could sense the growing alarm in Mission and her attempts to hide it as she listened to whatever offer Yuthura gave. That was not what concerned Revan. What concerned him was the fact that it had been close to a week since Bastila's capture.

What concerned him was the wave of anger and outrage he felt from the bond he shared with Bastila. Before she could hide it from him, it was there.

_"This is your fault, Revan. Your doing."_

Revan lowered his head to his hands, struggling with his own demons as he heard the voice, once so precious to him laced with venom. The regret he sensed from her was enough to keep him from giving up hope, but not enough to have any dillusions. Regardless of her strength, Bastila would not withstand Malak's assaults forever. Doubt had worked itself in her mind and that doubt brought anger and the anger would bring her fall.


	28. Chapter 28: Absolute Power

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 28: Absolute Power

The battle between Padawan Shan and Darth Malak was short. As Malak sliced Bastila's saber in two, rendering its deadly flight null he struck, outraged at losing his chance to kill Revan. Remembering the reason he had gone through the trouble of scouring the galaxy, Malak calmed himself, forcing his strikes against the Jedi Padawan to follow a less deadly course.

Bastila struggled with her emotions as she parried Malak's crimson blade with Revan's. The Dark Lord's golden eyes seemed to smile as he struck a powerful blow she had no choice but to block. The force of the attack shattered her defenses as her arms ached with the pure force of the strike. It wouldn't have surprised her if Malak had dislocated one of her shoulders with that strike.

Malak took advantage of the breach in Bastila's defenses, sending his fist into the Padawan's face. Bastila took the blow, using the Force to block the bone-crushing force of Malak's strength. It was still not enough as she stumbled backwards and gracelessly fell into the bulkhead, stumbling further as she struggled against the stars in her vision and the deadly hum of Malak's saber as it scorched the place she was a moment before.

Mechanical laughter sounded, as Malak kicked Revan's saber from Bastila's hand. Bastila struggled to call the weapon back to her, only to find her neck gripped by the steel of Malak's hand. Malak sneered as he pulled Bastila to his own height.

"You are mine now, Bastila."

Malak received a pained cry and a weak knee to his abdomen in response. Laughing again, Malak grunted in pain as Bastila struck lower, and with more force between his legs. Enraged, Malak slammed Bastila into the bulkhead, feeling her body go limp in his hand he sighed, dropping her to the floor with little care as he paced over to the weapon she had taken from Revan. Lifting the blade, Malak smiled as he knew now what to do. The concern he felt in Bastila for Revan he had no doubt was mutual. He had no doubts that Revan would recover and that with Revan's power as it was he needed to weaken his old friend. That or put his latest discovery of the Star Forge's power to use.

"You will be my revenge against him..."

Malak stroked the plate along his mangled jaw, remembering the day he questioned Revan's pursuit of the Vong. Remembering the look of cold hatred that settled in his childhood friend's eyes as he threw away whatever bonds of friendship and even he thought, brotherhood that the two held.

Revan took his jaw then, restraining him as he carved it away ever so slowly with the very weapon he now held in his hands. Malak shuddered as he felt the memories of all the blood spilled by the weapon in his hands. The very weapon itself was tainted with the scars of the darkside. The scars of Revan's betrayal to both his friends and the Jedi.

Revan truly never betrayed the Republic. In a way he had attempted to save it. The Republic was too loosely organized and took far too long to come to important decisions that required immediate responses. Malak rarely questioned the logic of Revan's betrayal of the Republic. Revan was in truth, seeking a way to strengthen the Republic. Hardening its warriors and adding them to his own over time.

Something that Malak lacked the patience for. That was what had made Revan so dangerous. He was willing to lose a hundred thousand men if it would gain him a hundred thousand and one. Revan was not afraid to pay the cost of war. To himself or those he commanded. Even those who's fate he held.   
The Vong were not the threat, Malak knew. He was surprised Revan never discovered the threat posed by the true Sith. But then again, Revan was too busy fighting the Vong to ever turn his eyes upward to see who was directing fate. Malak himself did not know the threat of the Sith, only that the Force was telling him to question Revan's fanatical pursuit of the Vong. The war with the Vong was needlessly weakening their new Sith Empire and Malak felt the Force would be with him if it came down to a fight. The losses they were taking against the Yuuzhan Vong were enough to be considered madness. Suicide even.

Then the Jedi had sprung their little trap. And he had sprung his. A part of him felt regret but the constant pain of his condition was enough to remind him that it was not he who was betraying Revan, but he who was paying him back.

Malak knelt beside Bastila, lifting the Padawan and carrying her to the brig of the Leviathan. Bodies lay everywhere along with destroyed security droids and debris. Malak felt his mind travel to the dozens of assaults Revan led into Mandalorian vessels and the lack of mercy he saw duplicated in his own flagship.

Bastila stirred, murmuring Revan's name as she fought to regain consciousness, knowing she was not safe. Feeling the Force tell her she was very far from safe.

"Do not fret, child."

Malak's mechanical voice soothed, surprisingly.

"Pain will educate you to the treachery of Revan. But I cannot bring myself to murder one who has felt the betrayal of one who should have been a brother to us... Perhaps even more to you. You will see Revan's treachery and I will make you strong enough to destroy him..."

It sounded noble enough. Malak felt shame in his mind and banished it. All he had done was for Revan or for the good of the galaxy. Revan was never one to change who he was and Malak feared, actually feared what would happen if Revan were to reclaim the Sith throne. Not his own death, though that was a major factor. Malak feared the way Revan fought. Feared the detachment he saw in Revan as he had said when he carved the flesh from his friend and formed him into the murderous brute he was.

_"I will do what I must...You will see what I see... You will see the countless stars fall to the Vong... See whole worlds burn and see the suffering of trillions upon trillions of lives. You will see, Malak. You will suffer each day as I have, though yours will be a different burden..."_

Screams of pain had been his last true words. Pleading with his friend to listen to him, his last act of nobility. Darth Malak laid Bastila down, remembering the countless times he had watched Revan torture and break Jedi in the same way he was now about to. How ironic that Revan thought he would protect Bastila from the Darkside when his betrayal of the Jedi had been enough to sew the seeds of doubt in her mind. She had loved and respected Revan as had the men and women that followed him through the Mandalorian wars and she had been betrayed by Revan, in his war to _unite the galaxy._

Malak sighed mechanically, the pain in his jaw increasing with the strain of the memories. Bastila's eyes fluttered open as she gasped and pulled away from her prison cot. Malak's cold eyes regarded Bastila for only a moment with a soft-brown pity before he sneered and they flashed with the golden power of the Sith.

"Let me tell you a story, Bastila Shan."

Bastila shuddered as she heard her name spoken from Malak's cold voice.

"Speak as much as you will, Sith. I will not listen to your lies."

Malak laughed coldly.

"But you will listen to Revan's?"

As much as she did not want to hear the words Malak spoke. The thought of Revan doing such things, she could not deny it. Selene Arkesh. Sixteen years old. Malak spoke of her and how Revan had thought to use her for his own selfish purposes to keep Bastila, his little obsession as Malak called her, safe.

Bastila remembered the message Selene had given her from Revan and how the Council had sent her back to the Sith, to spy on what they thought could possibly be the key to Revan's defeat. She had paid with her life.   
Malak told Bastila of the Vong and the Jedi's blindness to them. The thought of creatures existing outside of the Force brought a shudder to Bastila as she recalled the Jedi's teachings.

_"There is no death... There is the Force..."_

But creatures that lived outside of the Force? Bastila did not blame the obsessive way Revan pursued and fought the Vong, however useless it may have been. She may have even done so herself.

_"But what was it the Council sensed beyond the Rim? The growing Darkness that kept them from combating the Mandalorians?"_

Revan could not have been that darkness. She could not sense a taint of the Darkside within him, even when he was angered he never delved into the Darkside of the Force until the Mandalorian wars. When he stopped worshiping the Force and used it to forge into a weapon. A weapon to use against his enemies.

_"But who are Revan's enemies?"_

Malak had spoken for only a short time before he knocked her unconscious. She regained consciousness hours later, unable to feel the Force and fearing that her recent doubts had driven her connection to the Force. Malak returned the following day taunting her with the tantalizing power the Darkside he said all but guaranteed.

The bond she shared with Revan was broken, weakened by the Force suppression drug that flowed through her system. Bastila felt her fear and worries growing. She had unconsciously felt Juhani's reassurance that Revan lived. But how could she be sure it was real. What if he were dead. It would be the Jedi's fault for sending them on such a mission so ill prepared. Two Padawans, a recently redeemed fallen Knight, a fourteen year old Twi'lek girl, a formerly enslaved Wookiee, a battle-hungry Mandalorian and a reliable, yet still generally useless utility droid as well as a Force-blind war hero. That was what the Jedi Council in all its wisdom sent from Dantooine. One of those Padawans was even the reformed Dark Lord of the Sith who was supposed to have been so grievously wounded by Malak's betrayal that his mind would never regain its full function.

Then the lie was revealed. The barrier placed on her mind by the Jedi Council melted away to reveal the truth of Revan's fall. Revan's capture and imprisonment. Anger grew in Bastila until she surprised herself by subtly feeling a tendril of the Force. Reaching for that tendril she felt the bond she shared with Revan and clung to it for her life, channeling more anger and outrage to her as she fought desperately to hold on to the only thing she could draw comfort from in this hell.

_"Revan will come for me... He will make this right..."_

But he didn't come. Hours passed and soon days. The Jedi had lied to her, lied directly to her, not the half truths they were famous for. Blatant lies they used to cover up their own crimes. Their attempted murder of the only man who meant as much to her, possibly even more to her than her father.

Then Malak came and fed her. She refused to eat at first, but hunger won out and she knew she would need her strength. Bastila was not about to let Malak decide her fate.

Then the torture came. Never before had Bastila thought such pain was possible. After a while her own burnt flesh did not make her want to gag. Malak increased the intensity of his torture, making certain not to harm her face. He wanted Revan to see what he made, wanted Revan to truly feel the sting of betrayal as he had when Revan had mangled him. Bastila's pained cried laced with the sizzle of her flesh as Malak continued the torture. Force lightning had so many uses.   
"You are strong child..."

Malak leered over Bastila, eyeing the scorch marks where her clothing was beginning to burn into her own skin. Bastila fought a moment for her wavering resolve.

"But I will break you..."

Both knew it was true. Bastila could already feel her rage growing. The Force was beginning to come back to her, though it was different now. It seemed almost endless, she felt now what the Jedi called the lure of the Darkside. Now as she delved into her anger towards Malak, towards the Jedi for what they had done to Revan and even now the anger she felt towards Revan as Malak brought back the painful memories of his betrayal. She had not been enough to keep him with the Jedi, but his precious redemption was enough.

_"This is your fault, Revan. Your doing."_

Oh how clear the Force was in that moment, how clear the bond between she and Revan was as strong as it had ever been. She saw him then, in his dorm on Korriban, seeking the Starmap even then to find her and her anger deflated.

_"Oh Force, I didn't mean it. Revan! Please, I'm sorry..."_

But there was nothing then. She could barely feel Revan as he withdrew, as he weakened. A part of her was enraged at the weakness. He needed to be stronger if he was going to stand a chance of saving her. Then it was clear.

"I'll never fall to the darkside..."

Malak turned away a moment, from surprise or some respect he suddenly felt for the young woman's strength, only Malak would know. Crossing his arms across his chest, Malak reached into the tides of the Force and felt the elation of victory. Turning, Malak sent a painful wave of energy into Bastila as she cried and struggled violently against her restraints. He began laughing as he felt the power, felt the Darkside grow within her as her doubts and her fear and even not her self-hatred grew. It was no longer he who was the villain in her mind, but herself.

_"Not much longer now..."_

Bastila felt tears escaping her eyes as her scream grew into an enraged howl of hatred and contempt. Malak felt the Darkside surge through Bastila and was surprised by the sheer power the young woman held. Slowly, the lightning receded as Malak knew it was useless. Bastila breathed heavily as she struggled against the pain and the strangely intoxicating feeling that had come over her as she fed her hatred further.

"You have already fallen, Bastila Shan. You need only become my apprentice to right the wrongs done to you. To destroy the Jedi for the fools and liars they are and to destroy the weakness that Revan brings in you."

Bastila could not take it any longer. She had held out for a week against Malak's constant torture with little help from the Force. To die separate from the Force was truly a horrible thing for any Jedi, who are taught from the beginning of their apprenticeships that the Force is all powerful. The doubt into the wisdom of the Jedi Council was enough, but the anger and outrage at what they had done to Revan helped.  
"What will you do?"

Malak asked, his eyes narrowing. Soon, Bastila would become a liability and he would have to eliminate her.

_"Revan..."_

Bastila reached to where she knew Revan was, the Darkside fueling her strength and banishing her exhaustion. Then he was there.

_"Bastila..."_

Revan closed his eyes as he sat against the wall of his Academy dorm.  
_"Bast..."_

Concern. Bastila felt shame. She did not deserve that.

_"But what do I deserve? The Jedi used me, used my battle meditation and took everything that ever meant a thing to be away... And Revan... Revan willingly goes back to them?"_

The question could not wait.

_"Revan, I cannot hold on... What can I do?"_

Revan sighed, knowing he could offer no comfort.

_"You have already lost your hold, Bastila. You have already given in to the Darkside. I can feel it... Force its... its sickening."_

Seeing one that was once so bright as Bastila corrupted and twisted by the Darkside. Revan could hold it back no longer and vomited on the floor of his dorm. It was not who she was. She would never be safe again as a Sith. The Darkside would twist her into a mockery of what she had once been. This was not who Bastila was. Not the person he had forsaken for the good of the Galaxy. Not the person he had failed to protect. This was the Darkside's tool now. Something that sickened him, a shattered piece of a puzzle that was once the woman he loved.

_"Bastila, don't give in... This isn't who you are."_

But she did not hear. Revan lowered his eyes to the floor, staring at the liquid that had expended itself from him. A single tear made its way down his face as Revan mourned the loss of who he had sworn his life to. The reason he went back to the Jedi. He knew now that Bastila Shan was dead.

But the Darkside of the Force does not destroy a being, it twists them. Works on what is already there and merely lessens the morals of that person. The Darkside of the Force merely gives a person the power to overlook their emotions. Gives them the comfort the Jedi's Code gives some of her servants. The comfort a loved on can offer when one loses hope.

_"Sickening?"_

Bastila retreated from Revan in abhorrence. How could she have changed so much for him to be disgusted by her? Surely Revan would not be so shallow as to be disgusted by the tortures she had endured. At first for the Jedi, then for him when she could no longer believe in the Jedi. Now what did she have but Malak's offer for revenge. She had nothing but revenge now.

More tears fell from Bastila's eyes and she was startled to feel Malak's cold hand wipe them away.  
"He is disgusted by you? Isn't he? He cannot see what you are becoming. He cannot see what he once was, the glory and power of the Darkside is lost to him. He is now a slave to the Jedi as you were. A slave to the will of a Council that tried to murder him and sent you to me. Am I so terrible for opening your eyes? Am I such a monster that I would bring myself to murder to end the corruption of the Jedi? The power to kill is not true power. True power... absolute power is creating a lie... and making others believe that lie. The Jedi hold absolute power now... They hold Revan... Do they hold you, Bastila Shan? Are you bound to the lies and deceits and half-truths of the Jedi Council? Are you their Slave?"

Malak slapped Bastila as he spoke _slave._ The Padawan's eyes flashed with rage.

"I am no one's slave."

Malak studied the cool blue, almost gray eyes before nodding and removing the restraints from Bastila's hands and legs.  
"Kneel before me. I will teach you all I know of the Force and you can use that for your vengeance. Kneel before me and swear your allegiance and you need not suffer again. Kneel before me and know no more lies. Know the power of the Darkside and know the true potential you hold within yourself. Become my apprentice, Bastila and one day usurp me with your own strength. Gain the power to claim the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith, become its queen, its empress. Become a Dark Lady of the Sith and challenge me if you should surpass me. Give me the satisfaction of knowing that I have truly made a difference. Give yourself the satisfaction of knowing you are not bound by lies, but by your own strength. Strength and skill are everything to the Sith. Strength and skill do not lie."

And Bastila Shan knelt before Darth Malak, becoming Darth Shan and claiming the title of Dark Lady of the Sith. One day, perhaps she could overthrow him and prove herself worthy of that title but until then, she would learn what he had to teach her. She would use him as he would use her and her battle meditation. She would become strong and she would be second to no one. She would never be at the mercy of another and she would grant no mercy to any.   
"Where shall we begin, Master?"

Malak's eyes smiled cooly as he felt the elation of victory. She would be his weapon now, his tool to strike Revan.

"Now, I will teach you the power of the Sith. Now I will teach you what you must know to kill Revan."

For a moment, Malak thought he saw Bastila flinch. Ignoring the gesture, Malak continued with his lessons. Bastila would soon gain the knowledge of the Sith and be all the more useful to him.

_"Kill Revan..."_

Bastila flinched as Malak spoke those words. She hated Revan for all he had done, yet a part of her did not want him dead. She wanted him for herself. What she had denied herself and what the Jedi had denied them both, she now felt with no restraint. Revan would be hers... or he would die. It was an absolute, the only way she could see things. She would never abide Revan with another... and she hoped he would have it no other way.


	29. Chapter 29: A Razor's Edge

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 29: A Razor's Edge

Revan was in a much darker mood one week from the day he had entered the academy on Korriban. Already his hair was beginning to grow back and the former Dark Lord decided to regrow his goatee, grooming the stubble as he went about his training, going through the motions of what Sith were supposed to be. Something he had long ago mastered. Bastila was ever foremost on his mind. It was not vengeance, or redemption, which he never truly believed he could grasp. It was her that had kept him going and now... Now she was in Malak's hands, dead or a Sith. Something he had sworn himself he would never abide.

_"How far will I go..."_

Revan eyed Lashowe. An attractive and sharp-tempered young woman who he had clashed with on his way to the academy. She was kneeling before him, completely defenseless as she attempted to call the Tukata to herself. In the hopes of finding what she thought to be an ancient holocron of an Ancient Sith. What Revan knew was the useless remains of Tulak Hord's knowledge. Ironically he had removed what he needed to know and had fed it to the very Tukata she was calling out of boredom years before. Revan sighed as the beast appeared, allowing Lashowe to do most of the work in killing the beast.

As she dug the device from the creature's entrails, Revan glanced around warily, making certain no one was watching. The small vibroblade Revan carried flashed in the sunlight a moment before he pushed Lashowe into the walls of a nearby tomb and covered her mouth with his left hand as his right dug the deadly blade deep within the Sith student's liver.  
"Shhh..."

Revan soothed as he twisted the blade and felt Lashowe gasp into his hand. The cry of pain did not carry as black blood pooled around the wound and flowed freely down her uniform.

"I know, I know. It hurts..."

Life flickered a moment in her blue eyes before it drained and they slowly became a dull gray. Revan eased the blade from the wound, lying the young woman's body within the halls of Tulak Hord's tomb. Snatching the bloody holocron from Lashowe's grasp, Revan left the body there without pause as he ventured deep within the familiar halls of Tulak Hord's tomb, seeking the Force presence he felt deep within.

_"A trap..."_

Gathering the Force around him, Revan created a barrier against the noxious gas, his eyes scanning the dark halls before he heard a maddened cackle.

"Ah! Another student has stumbled upon my trap!"

Jorak Uln cackled insanely as he came through the chamber's doors, the mirth leaving his face as he saw Revan standing there with his arms crossed.

"You will give me your research on this tomb, or I will destroy you."  
Without pause, Jorak spat some incoherent rant before activating a saberstaff and charging Revan. Revan leapt above the charging Sith Master, opening his hand and sending a massive wave of the Force down on the Sith. A snapping sound rang out as Jorak Uln collapsed in a lifeless heap, his skull cracked and his spine as well as his neck broken by the assault. Revan landed softly, turning and inspecting the corpse. Making certain the knowledge was of no real value, Revan placed the insane and recently deceased Sith Master's holocron within in robes.

The sound of someone struggling reached his ears and Revan followed the corridor to find another student bound and regaining consciousness.

"Sorry, no time for competition."

Revan spat towards Melek as he used the saber he had taken from a Sith student in Dreshdae to remove the young man's head. Seeing that it was late, Revan returned to the academy to get credit for his tasks and to see how Mission was doing.

"Ah, there you are..."

Revan tilted his head in a subtle bow to Yuthura as he entered his dorm. Mission smiled, but quickly hid the gesture.

"We seem to be a couple students short tonight."  
Revan said with a sadistic smirk. Yuthura looked shaken a moment before nodding.

"Yes, Lashowe and Mekel failed to return from their... studies..."

Revan sighed, losing his smirk as he spoke.

"A shame."

Yuthura stood slowly from the chair she sat in. She had been speaking with Mission for some time and found she rather enjoyed the other Twi'lek's presence. She had found the girl wandering alone near the academy archives and offered to guide her around the academy to make certain no other students got any ideas. Mission had cursed her luck, not having found anything interesting within the archives except Dustil Onasi's dorm location as well as a list of several students within the academy who were _too soft_ as Uthar put it. She had taken the time to speak with one, who happened to be friends with Dustil. Kel Algwinn who had told her that one of Dustil's and his own friend's had gone missing.

"So what are you planning to do this evening?"

Yuthura purred, crossing her arms. Revan thought a moment, shaking his head.

"I thought I'd speak with some of the other students, see if they had any ideas of where to start looking for something that would be worth prestige..."

Yuthura cocked a brow at that.

"And why would they share that information with you?"

Revan shrugged, smirking coldly as he spoke.

"Perhaps they would value their health more than their prestige."

There was something ominous in the way he spoke and Yuthura resisted the urge to shudder. Tauryn Katarn was the most enigmatic person she had ever met. His slave seemed to respect him and from what she had heard from Mission the young girl was his property because of some debt her brother had acquired against the man. Mission was quick to say that she felt she owed it to Revan, which was honest enough. Yuthura seemed angry that her brother would sell his sister to cover his debt, which Mission was sad to note was not far from the truth.

"I am rather hungry at the moment... perhaps we should go to the mess hall and see if you can gather any information there?"

Yuthura's suggestion was sound and Revan agreed, _allowing_ Mission to accompany them.   
"I've noticed your slave does not do much for you... is there any particular reason why?"

Yuthura asked suspiciously as Mission trailed behind and out of earshot. Revan sneered a moment, surprising Yuthura.

"It is her brother's debt to me, not hers..."

Revan hissed, turning so his eyes connected with Yuthura's.

"And I do not enjoy someone waiting on me. I like to know that I can take care of myself."

It was convincing, Yuthura nodded. Perhaps this young man was not the cold, killer he seemed.

The dinner was short, Revan having spotted his quarry. Taking his leave, Revan was grateful for the distraction of Mission. She seemed to occupy most of Yuthura's attention which was not a bad thing. Revan trailed Dustil until he reached the young man's dorm. There Revan confronted his about his father.

At first, Dustil feigned ignorance then he seemed enraged that his father would even try looking for him. All of which Revan could sense was not the young man's true feelings.

_"Everyone has a right to be young and foolish at least once in their life."  
_In the end, Dustil refused to do anything unless his father was there to prove this was not some trap laid by the Sith. Something Revan knew was not going to be easy.

"Not a problem."

Carth said quickly into the Ebon Hawk's communicator. Revan sighed.

"You should use Juhani as a Sith hopeful and you can pose as her bodyguard along with Canderous. Make sure the Ebon Hawk's transponder is changed before you arrive. I don't want to wave a flag to Malak that we are here, even though he should damn well know we are..."

Carth acknowledged, taking the Ebon Hawk from the starport of Katarr, the Jedi Council's temporary replacement for Dantooine. He had found out that the only Master to perish on Dantooine had been Master Dorak. Vandar, Vrook and Zhar had been waiting for him and the others. Vrook seemed surprised at Jolee's presence, but listened to what they had to say and grimly accepted the news of the true Sith and their threat. They seemed shocked at the news of the Vong, though they did say that several of the more powerful Council Masters had had visions of beings similar to the Vong destroying many worlds, though these Masters seemed to believe this threat was far, very far in the future.

The Jedi Enclave of Katarr was quickly in a frenzy as Jedi scrambled to board their agile fighters and the Republic Military Commanders spoke with their Jedi advisors over their next course of action. Vandar Tokare returned to Coruscant to gather more Republic vessels that were with the planetary defense group under the command of Admiral Forn Dodonna. Vrook would accompany Vandar to Coruscant, though he would gather Jedi to work on the relief efforts on Dantooine and to make certain there were no Sith remaining.   
Zhar would overlook the construction of the Katarr Enclave, and eventually accept the training of the Dantooine survivors there. Katarr was a decent replacement for Dantooine. The countryside was much safer than the wilds of Dantooine and the native Miralukans were peaceful and a very large help to the Jedi.

_"Perhaps I can even find a new apprentice here..."_

Zhar sighed, his eyes following his fellow Jedi Masters. Quickly banishing whatever misgivings he had about their missions, Zhar decided the best thing he could do was trust Revan's plan. The others, including Knight Juhani and Jolee Bindo seemed to trust him and he did not sense the taint of the Darkside or any dishonesty in them.

Two weeks after leaving the world, the Ebon Hawk returned to Korriban and Juhani managed to save a lot of time trying to get into the Sith academy by meeting Revan and accepting one of his Sith emblems. Yuthura seemed suspicious of the young Cathar and even more suspicious of her muscle-bound escorts, one of which she knew without a doubt, since he boasted openly about it, was a Mandalorian. After, with no little effort, of hearing Juhani's story, Yuthura seemed more at ease, seeing a kinship with the young woman and her rather dark past as a slave. It was little surprise to Yuthura that the Cathar would killer Master out of anger and leave the Jedi.

Revan brought Carth to Dustil and managed to convince the young man, after several heated arguments between father and son, to wait until he revealed them. Finding proof that the Sith were evil was actually harder than it sounded. Revan had to enlist the help of Mission and go spelunking in the Kinrath caves of Korriban to get any leads on that. Having the testimonies of the renegade Sith he helped flee through the caves, after a violent encounter with a Terantek, Revan followed their information to Uthar's quarters, where he had Mission hack the lock. There he found a rather extensive dairy of Uthar's activities.

Revan smirked as he read the frustration the Sith Master seemed to have at deciphering the two holocrons he had given him.

"There."

Revan copied the information quickly and returned the datapad to its original resting place.

"Great work Mission, lets get out of here."

Uthar was none the wiser to the fact that someone had gone through his personal belongings when he returned, another reason Revan was eternally grateful for Mission Vao.

After hearing that Uthar had one of his friends, perhaps someone who meant even more than that to him, murdered because she had been a distraction to his training was enough to get Dustil's attention. Dustil agreed to leave the Sith, though he did not settle the issues he had with his father, he agreed to hear him out.

Revan was surprised that the young man wanted to stay behind and gather any information he could on the Sith, but not so surprised to hear he wanted to try to convince some of his friends to leave as well.

Whatever mistrust Carth felt towards Revan was gone after that and the Republic Commander didn't question as many of Revan's orders. Canderous wandered Dreshdae, bored out of his mind and half a mind to set HK-47 loose on the place. Revan had said to be patient, returning to the Academy and killing another of the students in the tomb of Ajunta Pal. Juhani managed to drive an insane droid from the tomb of Marka Ragnos and had a rather heated run in with a former _friend._

Another week passed before Uthar had decided Revan was worthy enough to enter the tomb of Naga Sadow and face the trials of the Sith. A week Revan spent manipulating the Sith as much as he could and starting an interesting friendship with Yuthura Ban. Apparently he was just as charismatic as he had been in the Mandalorian wars. Revan decided to play the card, it never hurt to have another person on your side and he could tell that Yuthura Ban was not the average Sith Master.

"Canderous, its time."  
Revan spoke quietly into a communicator as he entered the tomb of Naga Sadow. Canderous smirked as he acknowledged and began setting a small armory's worth of explosives around the Academy. Dustil had already been warned along with several others Revan felt they could trust to clear out of the academy. The bloodbath would be as clean as they could make it... well until HK-47 heard about it and stood at the front of the academy with a heavy repeating blaster rifle, killing anyone who came through that he wasn't under specific orders to kill. The Sith found the droid amusing and decided to allow him to continue killing as they awaited the return of Uthar from the tomb of Naga Sadow. It was his decision after all, it was his academy.

The tombs were a labyrinth that Revan had vaguely memorized on his search for the Star Forge and his search through the ancient knowledge of the Sith Lords. The two Terantek were something new, that Revan had a rather difficult time with. One Terantek was a challenge, two was damn dangerous.

Taking a moment to bind the wound he had received from the beast, Revan made his way to a chamber, finding what he needed to get across the acid pool that blocked his way.

The lightsaber was easy enough to find and Revan quickly marked down the coordinates of the Star Forge in his datapad, jogging back towards the entrance of the tomb and stopping as he came across Uthar and Yuthura near the frozen acid pool.

"Did I miss something?"

Revan asked, making certain the lightsaber in his hand would work. Uthar smirked, nodding.

"Yes, I have one final task for you. Kill Yuthura and take her place."

Yuthura looked shocked, betrayal burning in her eyes as she glared at Revan.

"What?"

Revan sighed.

"I think I'll just kill you instead, old man."

Uthar scoffed as Yuthura calmed. Tauryn had not betrayed their plan.

"Yes, it is you, Uthar who will die here."

Yuthura activated her crimson blade, lunging for Uthar. The Sith Master quickly activated a saberstaff, parrying the strike and moving against Yuthura with the free end of his staff. The azure blade that blocked his strike surprised him and he turned to see Revan holding a Jedi's lightsaber in hand along with the inactive Sith saber. Something made a connection in the Sith's mind as he shouted betrayal and sent a powerful pulse of power through the Force that sent Yuthura into the wall and Revan back several steps.

"It cannot be you! You're dead!"

Revan smirked silently, activating the crimson Sith's blade and moving into a defensive stance.  
"Death didn't agree with me."

Revan laughed as Uthar thrust for his chest. Blocking with his azure saber, Revan split Uthar's staff in two with his newly acquired Sith saber and allowed the man to get in two more strikes before tearing a new hole in his chest.

Uthar fell lifelessly to the ground and Revan heard the sound of applause. Turning, Revan took not that Yuthura was smiling.

"Well done my friend..."

For a moment the smile wavered. Revan narrowed his eyes.

"But Sith do not share power..."

Yuthura spoke finally, preparing to attack the young man. Revan eyed the Sith saber in his hand a moment with disdain before tossing the crudely crafted weapon to the ground and moving into a defensive stance.

"If that is how it must be..."

Yuthura looked regretful a moment before she fueled her anger and gazed at him coldly.

"There is no other way... my friend."

Yuthura managed to have Revan on the defensive for nearly half a minute since he had no real wish to kill her. Revan blocked the attacks expertly, seeing the surprise in the Twi'lek's eyes as she called on the Force and attempted to close his throat. Revan blocked the attack easily, waving his hand and shattering Yuthura's weapon with the Force. The broken pieces of the saber fell to her feet and Yuthura saw the azure blade coming for her head.

Backing away quickly, Yuthura felt the cold wall of the tomb block her retreat and sighed in defeat. Revan's blade stopped an inch from Yuthura's neck.  
"I am sorry... I thought I could defeat you, but I guess I cannot..."

Yuthura sighed, pondering whether she should beg for mercy or go out with some dignity.  
"I would have been surprised if you could. I am no simple Jedi or Sith student. I am Darth Revan."

The surprise was only momentary, having seen the man's power and felt it firsthand as well as seeing the way he fought, she could not deny it any longer.

"Yes... yes, I knew there was something strange about you... something important. But what will you do now?"

Revan narrowed his eyes a moment in thought before lowering his saber and attaching it to his belt.

"Come with me... There are others like us... who are neither Jedi nor Sith... I do not walk the path of a Jedi, nor can I walk the path of the Sith I have created..."

Yuthura recalled all she had known of Revan. She could sense he was being honest and was actually offering her a second chance.

"I- but where will I go? What can I possibly do? I would be hunted by the Jedi and the Sith if I were to flee..."

Revan activated his wrist communicator, speaking lowly to someone before he turned back to Yuthura.

"Go to Corellia... There I am gathering Sith who no longer wish to follow Malak's ways... I will go there as soon as my task is complete..."

The violet-skinned Twi'lek laughed a moment.

"And what task would that be?"

She asked, her eyes glinting with curiosity.

"Redemption..."

The former Dark Lord replied, extending his hand to Yuthura. Yuthura eyed the hand warily a moment before accepting it.

A series of explosions sounded in the distance and Revan smirked.

"The time of the Sith will soon be at an end. Let us save what we can and make our cause what it was meant to be. Just. Let us do for once... what is right."

Author's Notes: Uhg, There three Chapters for you loyal readers. Sorry about the delay but I recently moved and didn't have the internet for a while... plus all the crap with moving and stuff like that. I hope you enjoyed these three installments of my fic and I would like to hear some feedback on if you liked my little version... The next chapter is on the way but with all the crap going on it may take a while and I still have several other stories that require my attention...


	30. Chapter 30: The Dying Light

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 30: The Dying Light

The escape from Korriban was simple enough. Revan used the distraction created by his companion's little toys to get to the Ebon Hawk where he calculated the coordinates of the Star Forge. Carth quickly brought the Ebon Hawk away from Korriban and they emerged less than a day later in view of the Star Forge.

Revan knew better and warned Carth of the planetary disruptor field too late. Carth's expert flying saved their collective asses from becoming road kill and Revan was soon tearing through the Rakatan wilderness towards the temple that stood at the center of the island they had crashed on.

Due to retaining his memories and his identity, Revan was able to bypass the temple seal and even gain access to the Temple summit sooner than they had thought. Only a few hours had passed since their crash and Canderous had reported that he and HK had found enough salvage to repair the Hawk. At the top of the Temple, Revan could sense the one he was here to find. Bastila.

But sensing anything else but the fact that she was there was difficult. Revan didn't know how it was possible, even with their bond and he was not about to wait to find out. Breaking into a sprint, Revan pulled ahead of Jolee and Juhani as the two Jedi called to him to wait. Revan ignored them and climbed the corridors, opening the sealed doorways with the Force as he ran onto the sunlit summit and saw Bastila, clad in obsidian robes staring off into the sky before she focused her cool, gray eyes on him. In that moment, Revan despaired. Bastila was lost.

She had resisted and failed. The Darkside had consumed her so much that she had attacked him in hatred for the weakness he represented to her. Revan had resisted almost instinctually, fighting fiercely against Bastila until she realized he would not be sundered and offered him a choice. To join the Sith as her Lord. To have whatever he wanted.

It was tempting. Revan breathed heavily as he held his crimson blade out defensively. Bastila had sliced his other in half the moment be drew it and he had been lucky her blade only grazed his hand. He had never fought her before without restraint and the reaction he had to her was frightening. Revan continued to circle Bastila warily, though she stood serenely with her blade deactivated, an expectant look on her features. She was waiting for her answer.

Revan felt the war within him. To forsake what he knew of the woman he had sworn his life to; to protect her or to battle her to the death. It was not an easy choice and Revan felt his strength waning as he began to speak.

"Bast.. I-"

Then his eyes connected with Jolee and Juhani. Neither Jedi had interfered, but they were there to serve as a reminder. Jolee's tale of the Darkside corrupting his wife, changing her. Juhani and her betrayal in her anger of her Master and the regret she felt. The pain Revan felt from her.

"I can't... I won't. This is not who you are, Bastila."

Revan's features shifted to a mask of calm, though he felt as if he were torn in two. Bastila looked surprised a moment before fury bubbled within her and she lunged for Revan, her crimson saberstaff coming to life. Revan blocked the attack with some difficulty and drove his elbow into Bastila's face, wincing as she fell to the ground.

"Fool!"

The former Padawan hissed, rising to her knees as she glared hatefully towards Revan. Then Revan saw the conflict within her. Before there had been only the malicious void of the Darkside but now... Revan thought he saw some hope in her cool gray eyes.

"Join me, Revan. You deserve to be the Lord of the Sith! Imagine what you could do with the Star Forge! Together we can destroy Malak and shape the galaxy into what we want it to be... I would not betray you..."

The bond had been opened when she spoke and Revan felt himself grow sickened at what he saw. Closing his eyes, Revan lowered his head.

"I know..."  
A slow smile began to form on Bastila's lips before Revan finished.

"I would betray you... as I did Malak... as I have everyone..."

Revan opened his eyes to see Bastila rising slowly, a look of scorn on her features. He had struck a nerve.

"You used to be Revan, Lord of the Sith... but look at you now... You are nothing but a pawn of the Jedi, a shadow of your former self. You are the one living a lie..."

Anger burned in Revan's eyes as he spoke in a snarl.

"You are not yourself! Look at what you are doing! The Bastila I knew... that I loved would never ask me what you have."

She had winced when he had said love.

"Love is a weakness..."

Bastila chanted, her eyes regaining their cool composure as she sneered.

"So be it, fool."

With that, Bastila sent a wave of Force energy outward, sending Juhani and Jolee on their backs though Revan absorbed the attack and watched her flee to her fighter.

_"A Sith never flees battle. A Sith has no fear..."_

Revan sighed, shaking his head as Bastila's fighter rose and ascended towards the Star Forge. Using the Force, Revan deactivated the planetary disruptor field and the Force-field protecting the Rakatan temple as he turned to Juhani and Jolee.

"The Republic fleet will be here any moment. Malak won't bother bombing this world, there isn't enough time."

And there wasn't. The Republic fleet arrived on the edge of the system before Revan had returned to the Ebon Hawk. Telling the others of Bastila's fall, Revan made his way to the cockpit, listening to Carth speak with Master Vandar and the Republic's Admiral Dodonna. The Jedi Master avoided using Revan's name and instead decided the best course of action would be to attack the Sith fleet as a diversion while the Jedi boarded the Star Forge and tried to stop Malak and Bastila's Battle Meditation.

Pain echoed through the Force as Malak punished Bastila for failing to kill Revan. Through their weak bond, Revan sensed Malak's doubt as to Bastila's loyalty and was baffled as to why he left her alive. Reaching for the bond he shared with Bastila, Revan bombarded the Padawan with his thoughts and feelings, hoping she would fight the darkness within her or that his efforts would at least distract her.

Darth Malak waited within the Command deck of the Star Forge, watching as Bastila Shan returned to her Battle Meditation. The Dark Lord of the Sith could tell she was distracted by Revan's proximity. Something he had been hoping would be equally distracting to Revan. The Star Forge's defenses and her small army of Sith troops and Dark Jedi should have been enough to stop Revan. It was not. Revan, alone, fought his way through the army, not restraining his use of the Force as he sent Dark Jedi and Sith soldier alike to their graves.

Malak was just beginning to wonder where all that power was coming from when he felt Revan grow even closer. Much closer than he was ready for. Summoning Bastila, Malak made it clear that her choice was to either kill Revan or die and retreated to the observation platform of the Star Forge to oversee his final surprise for his old friend.

Juhani and Jolee deflected the blasterfire from nearly a dozen Sith troopers that had attempted to ambush the Ebon Hawk crew, Carth made short work of them with the Hawk's lower turret while Canderous sat atop the freighter, a modified blasterrifle in his hands as he gazed through the sniperscope, searching for his next target. The unfortunate Sith apprentice was not fast enough to block the shot that connected with his head and Canderous smirked, turning the weapon on the endless stream of Sith troopers pouring into the hangar.

"This is what I live for!"  
The Mandalorian challenged, pondering pulling his vibroblades and joining the fray.

Revan entered the command deck of the Star Forge, staring a moment at the figure kneeling before the massive hologram of the battle outside. Bastila slowly opened her eyes and stood, calmly walking until she was just out of striking distance of Revan.

"Revan... I knew you'd come for me..."

The former Dark Lord of the Sith gave Bastila an incredulous look.

"You are standing between me and sweet, sweet revenge Bastila."

Revan snarled, his eyes flashing golden as he tightened his grip on his saber.

"Is that all that matters to you anymore? Revenge?"

The former Padawan asked calmly. Revan smirked. The point had gotten across.

"It seems all you care for anymore, Bast."

There was a subtle, barely noticeable wince as the former Padawan rested her hands on her hips and glared.

"Speak all the foolishness you want. You are nothing but a tool for the Jedi. What will stop them from raping your mind again? Guilt? It did nothing to stay their hand before. How can you follow those who would see you dead?"

Revan rose a brow, Bastila was being pretty damned reasonable for some reason while not seeing reason at all.

"And Malak wouldn't kill you once he has no more need of your Battle Meditation? He won't kill you once you have served your purpose? You say the Jedi used us... you for your Battle Meditation but what are the Sith doing that the Jedi did not? And didn't you use your Battle Meditation to help the Republic? To save what you once believed in?"

Bastila narrowed her eyes further, no longer listening.

"You may have had the upper hand on Rakata but here the Darkside is strongest and will give me the strength to be rid of you!"  
The saberstaff snapped to life as the Padawan lunged for Revan. Revan did not have time to block the attack with his still deactivated saber and rolled to the side, continuing the motion as Bastila followed him with her staff, the scarlet blade tearing through the space he was an instant before.

Crimson met crimson as Revan activated his weapon, saving the Force for the true battle that would come shortly after this one. While Bastila was strong in the Force, her strength lay in her Battle Meditation and in the middle of the battle, Revan knew she could not call on the concentration needed for that skill. One end of Bastila's staff grazed Revan, but he ignored it with the seasoned skills of a veteran warrior, ignoring the reopened gash in his side.   
Bastila paused her assault to call on the Force and sent a pulse of blue-white lightning towards Revan. The former Dark Lord switched his saber to one hand, using his left to block and absorb the attack. Bastila took that momentary distraction to attack, lunging for Revan. Revan swung his saber downward, driving his knee into Bastila's abdomen and using the Force to push her back several yards.

"Even as you grow weaker, the Star Forge fuels my power!"  
Bastila chanted, drawing energy from the Star Forge. Revan breathed heavily as he pressed his hand against the wound Bastila had given him at the beginning of their duel.

_"Not serious..."_

Revan quickly dismissed the wound and the pain, narrowing his eyes as Bastila slowly circled him.

"Then finish this, since you have so much more power."

Revan hissed, sarcasm bubbling beneath his angry words. Bastila obliged him, using the Force to grasp his throat. Revan quickly blocked the attack, but not before Bastila had used the distraction to attack. Revan cursed, summoning the burning power within him as he used the Force to throw himself back. Bastila followed with Force-enhanced speed, swiping downward with her saberstaff and continuing in a spin as she brought the other end into Revan's chest.

Revan continued his backward retreat, grunting as pain shot through his chest. A cool smile played on Bastila's face as she paused, giving him the time he needed to prepare for the next attack.

"You are growing weary..."

Bastila taunted, drawing even more power from the Star Forge. Revan held his left hand over his chest, struggling to remain conscious from the pain shooting through him. A distant memory of his violent childhood and a Mandalorian sergeant urging him to forget the pain in a broken leg brought him back to reality as he saw that Bastila was not taunting him, but fighting with herself. She had the chance to kill him many times, she was giving him a chance. Most of the Sith Lords Revan knew didn't bother with threats. They just killed.

"It is not my strength that is faltering... it is my will."

Revan spat, pushing the pain to the back of his mind. Bastila frowned, uncertainty flashing in her eyes a moment before she sneered.

"What is this trickery?"

Revan knew he couldn't save his strength for the fight with Malak anymore. He needed to knock some sense into Bastila.

"I can't fight you and Malak both, Bast... Malak is stronger than he was... I can feel it..."

Bastila scoffed.

"Of course he is more powerful than you, he embraces his destiny while you turn your back on yours."

Revan stared at the crimson blade in his hands. Shaking his head, Revan tossed the weapon aside.   
"I won't do it... If this is to be a battle to the death... then I will have it be mine..."

Revan turned his eyes back to Bastila's. "I can't fight you anymore... I won't betray you your life..."

The Sith Master across from him stood, motionless, her eyes narrow slits as she probed him for deceit. Anything that would expose his words as a lie.  
"Liar!"  
Bastila hissed, lunging for Revan. Revan sighed, staring at the crimson blade approaching his stomach. Nothing mattered anymore. Not his war with the Vong, not the war he would have fought against the True Sith. Not even his revenge on Malak. He had done all he had to protect Bastila and in the end he could not protect her from himself. This was the only way it could all end. Revan felt a sharp pain as the blade struck his abdomen. Closing his eyes, the former Dark Lord of the Sith released his final breath and collapsed to his knees, while the Sith Lord that struck him down stared at him with a mixture of shock and horror.

_"None of it matters anymore..."_


	31. Chapter 31: Brothers

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 31: Brothers

Darth Malak drew his thoughts from the space battle as he felt a disturbance in the Force. Surprised, Malak felt Revan's presence vanish, while his apprentice's presence seemed to grow obscured with the flood of emotions he sensed from her. Bastila Shan had won their duel. Darth Revan was dead and there was nothing challenging his leadership of the Sith.

It did not give him the satisfaction he thought it would. Malak slowly stared at the faces of the Jedi, suspended in the pods around him. Some he recognized from his own time as a Jedi and others, he did not. Sighing, Malak followed where he still sensed Bastila, not knowing exactly what he would find or what he would do.

Two Jedi leapt from the air ducts, a blade of emerald and of bronze attacking in unison. Malak instantly knew the two Jedi were a Master and a Padawan and did not hesitate to defend himself against their well coordinated attacks. Twice, the two Jedi nearly broke through his defenses, but Malak avoided each time and soon was pressing the older of the two Jedi into a defensive while the other struggled to keep the Dark Lord on the defensive.

It didn't work. Malak blocked the bronze blade of the Padawan, in the same motion, using his superior strength to drive his blade into the Jedi Master. The Master blocked with his emerald blade, Malak's attack nearly knocking him on his back.

Malak swiftly pressed his left palm against the Padawan's chest. The Master had time to shout a warning before the Padawan was sent backward by Malak's Force push.

The Jedi Master didn't have time to cry out as he sensed his Padawan and himself becoming one with the Force. Darth Malak removed his crimson blade from the Jedi's heart, eyeing the Padawan's slumped form, blood pooling beneath him from a wound to his head. Sure they were dead, Malak moved on towards the Command and control center of the Star Forge.

Bastila was sitting with Revan's head on her lap while she held her hand against the wound in his belly. Malak could sense Revan was already dead, but for some reason, a part of his old friend lingered. Then he saw it, Bastila was doing the same as she had years before, trying to preserve the flicker of life within Revan. But this time, the Force was not with her.

The former Padawan's eyes opened to see her Master. Instead of bowing, or cringing in fear, Bastila's blue eyes begged silently with the Sith Lord.

"Malak, please, help me..."

Darth Malak slowly walked over to the two figures, staring down at Revan's features. There was a sad acceptance in those features that reminded Malak so much of the sacrifices he had his friend, his brother had gone through during the Mandalorian wars.

Bastila's eyes continued to plead with him. Malak looked between his apprentice and his former Master, baffled as to why he felt anything other than joy.

"Why do you try to save him, Bastila?"

Malak asked harshly, confusion in his eyes. Bastila knew she couldn't defend herself if Malak decided to kill her. She wouldn't let go of the faint life she could feel, she prayed she could feel in Revan.

"I love him."

No confusion or fear, only desperation. Desperation to save Revan. Malak's eyes narrowed. The rational Sith within him told to kill Bastila but something buried deep within him stayed his hand.

"Love?"

Malak's mechanical voice was not as harsh as it had been. That was something Malak didn't understand. He thought he had loved once, but had turned his back to it as nearly every Jedi had done to stay within the Order. Then he had followed Revan into Darkness and that feeling he could not describe remained. Perhaps he had even loved Revan as a brother, they had been friends their entire lives and Malak wondered what would have become if they would have never sought the Vong, or the Star Forge.

The Sith in him told him those were dangerous thoughts, that only led to his end, but Malak began to wonder what was the point in life. The conquer the galaxy? Wasn't that what he and Revan had sought to stop the Vong from doing? To further his own power? To what end? It would not give him back his face.

Revenge had carried him a long ways, so had madness in a sense, but for the first time in half a decade, Malak questioned his own actions, what the cool and rational Sith in him told him to do. And he could not do as it asked. He could not sever the bond that kept his friend, his brother between life and death.

"Why do I do these things?"

Malak muttered mechanically, sounding almost as he used to when he would follow Revan on some damned fool crusade. Lowering his hand to Bastila's, over Revan's wound, Malak closed his eyes, his rationale screaming that Bastila was only using this as a means of him letting his guard down.

_"So be it."_

Reaching deep within the Force, further than he ever had before, Malak felt the faint bond he had once shared with Revan, the one uncorrupted by their fall to the Sith. There he grasped the tendril of life and held, wondering if there was even a point to this. You couldn't stop someone from dying, you couldn't cheat death.

_"Revan..."_

Malak smiled mentally at his thoughts. If anyone had cheated death on numerous occasions, it was Revan, if anyone would come back from death, it would be Revan. The man was practically indestructible.

Bastila felt the strain on her power lessen some and panicked, wondering if Revan had slipped to far and had become one with the Force. Then shock filled her mind as she realized Malak had done exactly as she had asked, he had helped her. She would have argued why if she were not so concerned with Revan. Drawing on the Force, Bastila could feel its power burning through her veins, she ignored the pain as she channeled more and more of its power, its light into Revan.

It still wasn't enough. The wound was healing, but he wasn't coming back, he wasn't there. Panicking, Bastila reached further into the Force, further than she ever had before. The pain was escalating and she could feel Malak's concentration slipping.

"Don't you let go of him."

She hissed. Malak's presence came back and the strain she felt lessened some. For a brief moment, Bastila felt Revan and a slow, smile came to her face before she fell unconscious from the pain that throbbed throughout her being.

Malak felt the strain on Bastila and wondered briefly if she were pushing herself too far. The thought barely registered before Malak felt Revan. Opening his eyes, Malak saw Bastila had passed out and that Revan was staring at him.   
"You've won, Malak."

Revan's eyes. There was something in them Malak had never seen before. Something he had seen in the eyes of a thousand Republic soldiers during the Mandalorian wars and something he felt within himself shortly after. But never, never had he seen it in Revan. A lack of hope.

"You saw something?"

Malak questioned, feeling through the old bond of friendship he and Revan shared that it was true. Revan laughed, grimacing as he moved his hand to his abdomen. The hand fell on another and Revan turned his eyes to Bastila, some of the despair leaving his eyes, though not all.

"You didn't kill her?"

Revan's voice was gruff as he struggled to sit up. Malak felt himself wanting to chastise his old friend, but his anger was soon returning.   
"I owe you something, Revan."

Revan turned his eyes back to Malak's, his hand crossing over Bastila's forgotten saberstaff and slowly working its way towards Malak's kneeling form. Malak brought back his weapon arm, driving his fist into Revan's face. The former Dark Lord grunted as stars filled his vision. Then laughed, letting go of Bastila's weapon. Malak too laughed, clasping his hand on Revan's shoulder as the Star Forge shuddered.

Both former Jedi's eyes turned to the holo of the battle, seeing that things were not going well for the Sith.

"I think its time to leave, my friend."

Revan muttered, ignoring the blinding pain in his abdomen as he sat up. A hand rested on his shoulder, stabilizing him and Revan nodded thanks to Malak as he used the Sith Lord for support. Malak eyed his friend, his once sworn enemy and his once sworn brother. For an instant he thought of how Revan's head would look mounted on a wall, but forgot the thought when the holo of the battle flickered and died. Malak began moving for the Star Forge's hangar bay and stopped, turning with an exasperated glimmer to his eyes as he saw Revan trying to lift Bastila's unconscious form and fall himself.

Sighing, Malak quickly made his way over to the two, throwing Bastila over his shoulder and helping Revan stand up.

"Can you keep up?"

Revan's jaw clenched as he closed his eyes against a wave of pain.

"Its just pain, I've felt worse."

Malak nodded, making his way through the Star Forge with Revan following closely behind.

Canderous blinked as he caught sight of Malak carrying Bastila's unconscious form through his scope. The urge to pull the trigger was there, but Canderous ignored it, throwing the weapon over his shoulder and leaping from the top of the Hawk. A warrior like Malak you killed with a blade, not a blaster.

"Good to see you too."

Revan growled, startling the Mandalorian as he brandished his vibroblade. The turret of the Ebon Hawk followed Darth Malak until the Sith Lord stopped, glaring at the cockpit and waving his hand.

"Don't kill him, he's just in a bad mood."

Revan joked to his old friend. Malak grunted mechanically, turning his eyes back to Canderous and giving the warrior a calculating glare. Canderous smirked, nodding towards the unconscious former Padawan over Malak's shoulder.

"I take it Revan has convinced another poor soul to join him?"

Malak glared silently at the Mandalorian, beginning to wonder why he didn't just kill Revan.

"Where are we going? I don't really feel like decaying in a Republic cell or listening to the Jedi speak of my doom."

Revan chuckled, wincing in pain a moment before he concealed the pain that threatened to drive his consciousness from him.

"I was thinking something sunny and temperate... maybe Corellia? It's a Core world but the Republic doesn't have a large presence there..."

Malak was silent a moment before nodding, pulling Bastila from his shoulder and carrying her up the walkway of the Ebon Hawk where he was assaulted verbally by a young blue Twilek girl. Malak ignored the girl until she pointed a blaster in his face. Before he could kill her, Revan intervened and snatched the blaster from Mission's hand, whispering something to her that Malak could not hear before he graced him with a death glare and stomped off to the rear of the ship.   
Canderous sneered as he watched the display.

_"Is everyone getting soft these days?"_

Rolling his eyes, the Mandalorian made his way to the Ebon Hawk's garage. If Revan was in redemption mode, he had to shut down HK-47 before the droid got wind of Malak's presence.

Revan found Carth unconscious on the floor of the cockpit and ignored the piercing glare he received from Juhani.

"Why is Malak still armed?"

Juhani hissed. Revan turned, irritation in his features. That lightsaber to the stomach hurt like hell.

"You want him unarmed, you take it from him."

Revan snapped, turning back to the controls. Juhani looked back to see Malak sulking in the common room of the Ebon Hawk, his arms crossed as he glared down at Bastila's unconscious form. Jolee was attempting to joke with the Sith Lord as he made certain Bastila was only unconscious and was rewarded with the promise of death in Malak's eyes.

After enduring two minutes of Jolee's banter, Malak stalked towards the cockpit, eyeing Carth's unconscious form as he stepped over him.

"You put up with these... people for how long?"

The Sith Lord questioned, disbelief in his eyes. Revan chuckled at his friend's demeanor. Disgust was better than homicidal rage. All Revan knew right now was that he needed to get the hell away from the Star Forge and the Republic fleet that would likely incinerate the Hawk if it discovered who was really on board.

"Carth, can you hear me?"

Admiral Dodonna's voice cracked over the comms. Malak rose an eyebrow as he heard the voice.

"Forn is leading this attack? How did they even manage to get past my patrol pickets while we were being aided with Bastila's Battle Meditation?"

Revan recalled briefly the Republic Admiral and her politically motivated strategy during the Mandalorian wars. Sure she saved soldier's lives, but at the cost of the Mandalorians getting footholds where they couldn't afford them. Carth groaned and Revan cast a glance over his shoulder.

"Better put him out again, Malak. I don't think he'll like you."

Malak's eyes smiled as he kicked Carth in the head and ignored the horrified expression on the Cathar Jedi's face.

"What the Force is going on?"

Juhani finally cried, not understanding a damn thing that was going on. Revan pulled the Ebon Hawk away from the Star Forge, charging its engines and deflector shields to full as he began cursing a stream of very creative curses.

"I died."  
Revan shouted over the noise that racked the Ebon Hawk as the debris from the Star Forge began striking her hull. Malak chuckled darkly at the thought while Juhani grabbed Carth's unconscious form and began pulling him away from what she was beginning to think were two completely insane Sith Lords.

"Reminds me of Dagary Minor."

Malak laughed as the Ebon Hawk was consumed by the flames of the Star Forge's fall. Revan smirked, feeling the same thing Malak had, they wouldn't die here.

"When you led that entire squadron of Mandalorian fighters right to me and they decided to shoot the fueling station rather than capture it and I had to outrun the explosion?"

Malak continued laughing, a sound that was making the rest of the Ebon Hawk's crew very wary. Revan shook his head, switching off the comms as he programmed Corellia into the Ebon Hawk's navigation system and leapt into hyperspace.

The former Dark Lord stood, clutching his abdomen.

"Not if you'll excuse me, Malak. I think I might be needing that lightsaber."

Malak glanced down at his belt innocently, pulling Revan's captured weapon, which he had gained while capturing Bastila free and handing it to his old friend.

"Like old times..."

Revan nodded, his eyes shimmering as he hugged his friend.

"Things got pretty messed up, huh?"

Malak returned the gesture uncertainly, his eyes turning to the rear of the ship.

"How are we going to handle this, brother?"

The Sith's mechanical voice spoke. Revan released Malak, eyeing the entrance to the cockpit.

"Stay here, let me explain it to them. Just... don't touch anything."

Malak laughed at the old joke. This was the best he had felt in a long, long time. Then, it finally caught up with him. The billions he had killed, the betrayal, the pain the death. Malak lowered his head, nodding silently. He needed to be alone to think about what had happened. In saving Revan's life he had finally broken the Darkside's hold over him, and was finally beginning to pay the price for his actions.

Revan felt the guilt come crashing down on his friend and turned, leaving him alone. Malak would deal with it as he was. It would never be gone, it would haunt him the rest of his days but he would deal with it. Deal with it or die. Revan needed soldiers strong enough for the battle that was coming. The one he had seen a glimpse of when for an instant, he had become one with the Force.

That feeling, that completion was something that baffled Revan. Until that moment all that had mattered to him was protecting Bastila. His own redemption meant nothing and he was willing to do anything to protect Bastila. Protect her and redeem her before it was too late for her. He had thought he was beyond redemption, but that one tantalizing instant had broken that train of thought.

Redemption was not beyond him and he would stand against the seemingly invincible threat of the True Sith. He would do it with Malak, his brother, his friend at his side. Together, maybe they would stand a chance.

Revan's eyes fell on Bastila's unconscious form as he staggered into the Ebon Hawk's medical bay. Jolee turned to him, looking as if he wanted to speak, but holding his tongue as he saw Revan sit beside Bastila and take her hand in his.  
"I died, Old Man..."

Revan whispered, his eyes turning to theaged, former Jedi.

"I felt it... saw it... it was..."

Revan trailed off. It was simply indescribable. The feeling of becoming one with the Force. Joining all those who had died within the hold of the light before him. It felt like it did when he looked into Bastila's eyes and saw he smile. It was simply indescribable.

"Its alright kid... but there's one thing that isn't... That is the two, make that three Sith Lords on board that are all armed."

Jolee nodded to Bastila's saberstaff, still attached to her belt. Revan sighed, his hand traveling to his stomach while he called on the Force to mend the remainder of the wound.

"One is unconscious and the other two are so mad they won't kill anyone."

Revan spat, pained. Jolee cocked an eyebrow.  
"You're not turning him in?"

Revan slowly opened his eyes, glaring at Jolee.

"Would you turn Nayama in?"

Revan felt something dark surge in Jolee as anger flickered in the old man's eyes. Jolee finally calmed himself, sighing.

"No kid... I don't think I would..."

Revan injected himself with a pain killer, ignoring the curious look Jolee cast him.

"The others... I don't think they would understand... Juhani maybe. Canderous wouldn't care... but... Force, Jolee. This is madness."

The aging Jedi nodded his agreement, seeing Carth stir.

"I better explain things to flyboy before he gets himself killed."

Revan nodded his agreement, feeling the drugs working their way through his system.

"I think..."

Revan began, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as the pain finally overwhelmed him and he collapsed forward, his head resting on the side of the medical bed.

_"I'm going to rest my eyes a bit..."_

Author's Notes: I was sorta hinting to a Malak redemption in recent chapters. Doubt is really all it takes... well doubt an then a major slap in the face. I hope you all enjoyed it and don't want to kick my ass. Upcoming chapter. Revan meets up with the Rebel Sith on Corellia and has a conversation with Bastila and the rest of the Ebon Hawk crew. Be certain Carth isn't going to take this all very well.


	32. Chapter 32: Council

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 32: Council

Revan had been startled from his rest by Carth's shouting. Casting a concerned glance at Bastila for a moment, Revan stood, glad that the blinding pain in his abdomen had lessened some. Leaving his cloak in the small medical bay, Revan entered the common room of the Ebon Hawk, taking in the glares of his crewmates.

"None of you here stand a chance against him. Only Bastila and I could even hold our own. No one should be under the delusion that they can take on Darth Malak..."

The room was filled with silence, Canderous looked as if he wanted to argue that point, but the Mandalorian held his tongue, instead smirking as he saw the anger building in Carth.

"That bastard destroyed my homeworld!"

Revan sneered, surprising Carth.

"I am tired of hearing about your damned homeworld Carth. First its Saul Karath betrayed you, then its me, then its Malak. You know what? Unless you want to spend the rest of this trip unconscious, I'd suggest you look at the big picture. Telos was worthless and aside from raw materials, it will remain worthless. We were preparing to fight a war on a scale you could not possibly imagine and until you've seen what we've seen, lay off."

Carth scowled, opening his mouth to speak, but was silenced by Mission's cutting argument.

"What about Taris, Revan?"

The others remained silent, Juhani looking as if she were going to charge into the cockpit herself and drag Malak out. Revan ground his teeth together in annoyance.

"What about Taris?"

Revan spat, knowing he may be throwing away more than one friendship. Mission looked hurt and ran from the room, crying. Revan turned his eyes to Juhani, seeing an equally pained expression.

"Throw your hatred aside, Juhani. Unless you wish to join the Sith, then by all means..."

It was a slap in the face, and it worked. Revan felt the anger boiling within the Cathar and waited until she was able to control it better.

"I need Malak. He's powerful in the Force and one of the best warriors I know. I would trade all of you for him, and it would be worth it."

Revan allowed the words to sink in before continuing.

"We're going against an enemy that has had a thousand years to prepare for us... I am not asking any of you to follow me... In fact, if any of you do, I will stop you myself."

Canderous scoffed at the thought of missing a battle and decided there would be no harm in excluding himself from that warning.

"You can all go back to wherever you want after this, but don't follow us."

"Good advice."

Malak's mechanical voice boomed, startling the remaining crew.

"Are we going to speak to the Jedi about this, Revan?"

Revan was still a moment before nodding.

"Yes... it will take some time to convince them, but we should meet in a neutral area..."

Canderous rose a brow.

"How do you plan to do that? As I recall you all are war criminals within the Republic and the Jedi would sooner kill you than hear anything you had to say."

Revan eyed the Mandalorian curiously.

"That's... true..."

The former Sith Lord began, surprised by the Mandalorian's insight.

"Good, then we should find someplace with an independent government. Somewhere the locals owe you a debt of gratitude? Somewhere untouched by the Jedi Civil war."

Malak and Revan exchanged glances before both spoke at the same time.

"Onderon."

Carth grumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?"

Malak hissed. Carth said nothing, glaring silently at the Sith Lord.

"You can all stay on Onderon. Queen Talia may be a Republic sympathizer... but she will honor her debt to us..."

Carth rolled his eyes.

"What debt?"

Malak glared at the Republic Commander, entertaining the idea of disemboweling him.

"We promised that Onderon would not know war with us... an arrangement Malak and I made with Queen Talia when we first invaded Dxun with the assistance of General Kenobi..."  
Revan frowned, recalling his broken friend. Malak bowed his head, trying to remember where exactly everything went to Hell.

"Bring us out of hyperspace, and set course for Onderon, Corellia can wait."

Malak furrowed his brow.

"Why is Corellia so important?"

Revan brushed a hand wearily through his hair.

"There are some rebel Sith there that wished to follow me... We were gathering strength..."

Malak grunted mechanically, looking across the room to a bulkhead, seemingly entranced by the sheet of durasteel.

"Queen Talia will surely remember the saviors of Onderon..."

Revan muttered, wondering where exactly the Queen's loyalty lay.

Mission had pulled her head from her pillow to meet the sad eyes of her friend. Zalbaar patted her back gently, an accomplishment for the mighty Wookiee as he comforted his friend. The words Revan had spoke cut all of them deeply, and the Wookiee was beginning to wonder about the life-debt he had sworn to the former Lord of the Sith.

Revan watched the display with an emotionless mask, leaving the two alone as he sought the rest of the crew. Carth had locked himself in the cockpit, since Malak had taken up residence in the Ebon Hawk's common room. Juhani had eagerly abandoned her small corner in favor of the cargo bay. There, Revan watched as the Cathar forced herself through a rigorous exercise in the seven main lightsaber stances. Revan left, saying nothing. There was nothing for him to say. He had made his position clear and no one should doubt that.

Canderous was working diligently on HK-47. Something that did not bother Revan since the Mandalorian seemed to know his way around the assassin droid. T3-M4 stood vigil, beeping incomprehensively every once in a while as it witnessed the repairs.

"What do you think?"

Canderous finally asked, his gray eyes turning from the rust-colored droid's plating to Revan's face.

"I think its time Mandalore returned..."

Revan replied cryptically. Canderous smirked, feeling elation at the thought. If there was to be another Mandalore, he had no doubt of who it would be. Revan had earned the right in blood and battle, and Canderous would follow him to whatever end they would make, for he knew it would be a glorious one and he was glad, genuinely glad that Revan had not forgotten where he came from. That the former Jedi and Sith Lord would turn to his own people to fight whatever the threat was he had spoken of with the Ordo throughout their journey.

Jolee was no where to be found, Revan had a feeling his reference to the old Jedi's fallen wife had hurt him. Revan eyed the cockpit seal a moment, shaking his head. Speaking with Carth almost always turned into an argument. It wasn't really worth it.

Bastila awoke several hours after the decision, startled as she rose, frantically searching for her weapon. Her heartbeat lowered some where she laid her gloved hand against the saberstaff's cylinder and she slowly rose, feeling like she had been struck with a pulse of Force lightning. Revan was not there, something that worried Bastila. The apprentice of the Sith Lord slowly moved through the Ebon Hawk, finding who she sought rather easily.

Revan was standing at the center of the Ebon Hawk's common room, staring at a glowing holo of what she believed was Corellia. Frowning, Bastila slowly made her way to his side, her brow shooting up in surprise.

"What is going on?"

She asked, grateful something had occupied his thoughts. She just wanted to know he was alive, to be able to sense the ripples in the Force around him as they responded to his commanding presence. Revan's eyes did not leave the holo as he rubbed his chin, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Something bad..."

Revan sighed, slowly turning to Bastila. The former Padawan slowly lowered the barriers she had kept up in their bond, not wanting to look into his eyes.

"I- I killed you."

Revan reached out, running his hand gently along Bastila's cheek and tilting her head so he could look into her eyes.

"You did more than that..."

Revan said emotionlessly. Bastila saw a flicker in his eyes, something she had never seen before directed at her by this man. As soon as it was there, it was gone, but Bastila knew that Revan resented her, was angry with her. If she were more aware of her surroundings she would have noticed Malak eyeing them curiously from a corner as he rubbed a kolto salve into the wound where his jaw once was and replace his faceplate.

"I'll tell you... some day what that was, but right now there are more important matters..."

Bastila knew exactly why he was closing himself from their bond, no matter how much she didn't like it, she knew she deserved worse and remained quiet as Revan turned back to the holo.

"The Republic nineteenth fleet under the guidance of one Jedi Master Vrook Lamar led a contingent of Jedi Knights against a Sith force that was occupying Corellia... The Sith were killed to the last..."

Revan could sense his attitude was bothering Bastila. It was good, she was acknowledging her conscience. The easy part had been getting her to stop trying to kill him, the hard part would be sending her back to the Jedi, to a path he himself had forsaken and sought to destroy until those few clarifying moments that seemed to span an eternity. When he had seen the clarity and contentment of the Force.

"What do you wish to do, Bastila? Do you wish to continue being a Sith? Do you wish to return to the Jedi and face judgement, or do you with to wander in self Exile?"

Revan wasted no time, things were not going well. His reinforcements, his vanguard that he wished to lead against the True Sith was defeated even before they could take up weapons with him and time was being wasted. Had he been more mindful of the here and now he would have seen that he was forsaking Bastila, for none of the options he offered her were his path.

"I do not wish to stay with the Sith... and I do not wish to be shunned by Jedi and Sith alike..."

Bastila began, sighing dejectedly. Revan would have wondered why he did not feel torn in two, why he did not try to comfort her, but he didn't. There was a war to fight and he was falling back into the soldier's life. One couldn't afford the luxury of love when one faced impossible odds.

"Let the Republic burn. Let the Jedi sunder themselves with their foolishness."

Malak's mechanical voice spat as the Sith Lord stood from his corner. Bastila ashened, her eyes wide as she turned to face Malak. Malak merely rolled his eyes, leaving the two with some privacy.

"I wish to... to return before the Jedi Council... I wish to face judgement for my actions..."

She had her fair share of guilt, Revan knew she would forever be doomed to replay the moment she had taken his life from him, and the moment she had taken his redemption from him. Something he did not think possible, for he had thought Bastila had been his redemption but as he felt himself join his fallen comrades, his brothers and sisters in the Force, he had seen the evils that remained behind, unchallenged. Ones he would have fought had he lived. Then he had been torn from the Force, fearing in that instant that he was being sent into the oblivion of the Darkside, he had confessed before the Force and his Jedi predecessors his sins and had begged for a chance to redeem himself.   
Bastila's hand found his, Revan jumped with a start from his own thoughts. His barriers had slipped an instant and Bastila had felt what he had, seen what he saw and heard what he had been thinking.

"It is foolish of me to ask... but why do you hate me so?"

Bastila sighed, tears building in her eyes. Revan felt his anger and despair diminish at the sight as he reached a hand forward, capturing a tear as it fell from her azure eyes. For a moment, all he did was stare at the droplet of water, his body beginning to tremble.

"It is not you I hate... I forgave you the moment I looked into your eyes..."

Revan did not say the rest.

_"It is myself that I hate. I have endured so much pain and hardship, done so many evil things, fought so many enemies and friend... Betrayed so many.. What have I become in all this?"_

Bastila blinked, wondering why he had simply stopped speaking and was cupping her cheek. Then he moved forward, kissing her gently and she no longer wondered, she no longer questioned and for a moment, she no longer cared. They were back in the Room of a Thousand Fountains before this terrible war, the taint of the Darkside and their own sins far from them. Before it could progress any further, Revan broke away, brushing another tear from Bastila's eyes.

"You are my conscience, Bastila. You are my wisdom. Never make me doubt that again..."

She knew he was referring to her fall. The stab of guilt was physically taxing and she struggled to remain standing on her own power as another tear slid down her cheek. Revan allowed this one its course, resting his head against Bastila's and staring into her pained eyes. In a few months, everything they knew would change. There would no longer be Darth Revan or Darth Malak's Sith Empire closing in on the Republic. There would no longer be the hidden threat of the Yuuzhan Vong looming over them. There would no longer be the Order that had been the Republic's guardians and peacekeepers for a thousand generations. There would no longer be a Republic.


	33. Chapter 33: Twilight of the Jedi

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Notes: After over 2 months of really nothing in the writing department, I am trying my hand at finishing this one... I hope it works out, but who knows... This first part is just sort of a summary of things...

Chapter 33: Twilight of the Jedi

_Many would call the ending of the Jedi Civil war abrupt. One moment the galaxy was filled with thousands of Jedi and Sith Knights and the next, there was but a whisper of the warriors. Some would say the Jedi Order was lost after the destruction of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. Too many Jedi fell between the Mandalorian wars and the Star Forge to ever be able to recover._

_The Star Forge would be another point. Some would argue the destruction of the space station that fueled the Sith war effort was enough to break the Sith. Also in that fateful battle, the Sith Lord Darth Malak was sundered. The loss of the Sith hierarchy following Darth Revan's rampage through his former Empire was enough to break the fragile alliance between the remaining Sith Lords. Anarchy reigned within their Empire and though the Republic would prefer to mark a certain single point as an end to the war, the most notable event would have been the capture of Darth Revan, Darth Malak and Darth Shan. _

_Queen Talia of Onderon had arrested the Sith Lords upon their arrival. Despite the dissension within the ranks of the Onderonian military and the very vocal opposition of General Vaklu, the simple presence of Jedi Master Kavar was enough to draw a peaceful and rather anticlimactic surrender from the Sith Lords. Weary months of debate and accusations followed in which the Jedi Order was again divided on the issues. _

_Many within the Republic wanted to publicly execute Revan and Malak. There were wavering sympathies for Bastila Shan's plight, seeing as how she had been tortured into joining the Sith and she had been the sole reason the Republic had not fallen under Revan and Malak's assaults. _

_Weary of the public outcries, the Jedi Council and her remaining nine members fled from Coruscant, abandoning the Jedi Temple and rebuilding on the distant and neutral world of Katarr. The peaceful Miralukans were more than happy to allow the Jedi to train on their world. The Miralukan's close affinity to the Force was such that it allowed a close bond to form between the recovering Jedi Order._

_A time of healing was to have begun... or so they had thought._

_The Jedi Order had been devastated by its civil war. With what remained of Revan and Malak's Sith Empire destroying itself, the Jedi focused their efforts inward, hoping to repair the damage that had been suffered in the time since Exar Kun had driven a scythe through the heart of their ancient Order._

_Little was heard of from Darth Revan or Malak though it was rumored that Malak had been given treatment by the most skilled of what remained of the Jedi Healers. _

_Bastila was another matter. The Jedi had begun treatments to ensure she was free of the Darkside's influence, though many of the remaining Masters frowned upon her close relationship to Revan, none stood between it. _

_Isolating themselves from the issues within the Republic had been one of the Jedi's more foolhardy actions. Unable to hold sway within the Republic Senate and much less visible, the peoples of the Republic soon forgot their saviors and saw only a threat._

_When the ones who are labeled the protectors betray one another, it leaves a scar that most would not forgive or forget. The line between Jedi and Sith was blurred and well within a few months the people of the Republic were up in arms, wishing to see justice done to those it saw as responsible for the death and pain that had filled the galaxy for the last half-decade. _

_Seeing the Jedi shield mass murderers was merely the last straw and when the Jedi Order faded to nothingness, none mourned its passing. So drawn on anger and pain were the people of the Republic that they barely registered the loss of an entire planet of billions of people. The loss of the Jedi Order and the Miralukans of Katarr was barely a footnote in history. An inconvenience for the hyperspace routes that traveled through that sector._

_How they had escaped, let alone survived the destruction of all the life on that planet was a mystery. Revan and Malak were not found amongst the dead, for those who cared to look and what remained of the Jedi Council and the Jedi Order, barely a hundred Masters and Knights, gathered on Telos, searching for clues as to the catastrophe that had consumed what little had remained of their comrades after Revan's war._

_Bastila Shan had escaped the destruction of Katarr simply for spending time with her mother. Her trip to Coruscant was done in secret and she had spend the waning days of the Jedi Order by her mother's deathbed, only to discover that she had lost the last links to both of her families._

_In mourning, Bastila left the Order, searching the Core worlds for a purpose. The Jedi were no longer, her mother had passed on and the man she loved had disappeared without a trace._

_The Jedi gathered on Telos agreed to separate, fleeing to distant corners of the Republic to hide from whatever threat had targeted the Council on Katarr in the hopes of salvaging their Order. In the end the few that survived were hunted down and killed by the people they had fought to protect, betrayed for the bounties that were placed on their heads by the Exchange following the break between the Order and the Republic._

_With the twilight of the Jedi Order, it seemed the galaxy had fallen into a new age of darkness. With no Jedi to stand against them, the Sith began to set their plans into motion. _

_On Malachor V, Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus unleashed their trained assassins to hunt down what remained of the Jedi. After Nihilus had consumed the energy of Katarr, he knew that nothing could stand in his war. The galaxy would exist to feed his hunger and salve Sion's rage. Many would suffer in the years to follow at the hands of these Sith Lords. _

_The primal forces on hundreds of worlds beyond the eyes of the Republic stirred, seeing that it would only be a matter of years, perhaps even only a decade before a millennium of vengeance was satisfied. The True Sith had begun their campaign, conquering and silencing the opposition along the borders of their empire, striking from Ziost to quell any warning of their long-planned revenge._

_Revan and Malak fled Katarr, journeying first through the collapsing Republic and then beyond the Rim. Some attempted to follow them, though they were left far behind in the wake of the two Sith Lords._

_The Republic, as it always had, turned inwards. The weakened fleets decayed as they broke apart, returning to their homes and ignoring the larger, more devastating war that was upon them. Even Sion and Nihilus were not able to view the full scope of the True Sith's plans. Their war would be but a minor skirmish, the billions upon billions sacrificed to Nihilus' hunger a mere fraction of the terror the True Sith would unleash._

_Strangely all the hope in the galaxy, for those who could sense the change in the tides of the Force, did not rest on the shoulders of the Jedi, or the Senate, but upon three different men, brothers once, drawn together as comrades and friends and driven apart as rivals and Exiles._

_As two of these men charged into the fringes of the Republic, one returned, having gathered the skills these two would learn over the next four years. They would not be reunited for as long, but each would have a pivotal role to play in the war to come..._

**Ziost: 4 years after the fall of the Katarr.**

**  
Sub-Chapter 33 : The Rising Threat**

A swirl of red and black moved through the darkened forests of Ziost. The mountainous terrain was ideal place for what the two humans were doing at the moment. Running for their lives.

"This was a very bad idea!"  
Malak shouted with a grin as he and Revan rushed through the rocky terrain, the Force enhancing their speed as they drove deeper and deeper into the dark forests. Revan chuckled, breathing heavily as he and his friend continued trying to escape their pursuers.

"As I recall it was your idea to come here!"

Revan returned, hearing the shouts of the Sith warriors behind them. Malak ignored Revan, pulling a thermal detonator from his belt and tossing it behind them without a glance. The explosion tore through the night, sending splinters and bits of fragmented stones against their backs as they continued on, ignoring the heat that chased them.

"Could have bloody warned me."

Revan called, pulling his lightsaber from his belt and turning, the crimson blade attracting the Sith chasing them. Malak slid to a stop, catching his breath as his own blade called to the Sith.

"Their spread thin enough now. We'll run and slash and hope to the Force we can get back to the ship."

Malak nodded his agreement, licking his lips as his eyes focused on the nearest Sith. The red-skinned insectoid had only a moment to shift into a fighting stance before Malak's crimson blade cleaved it in two. The bald former Jedi lifted the Sith's vibroblade and threw it towards the next Sith, the blade driving through the warrior's chest. Malak decapitated the Sith as he passed, ending his pain as he charged towards where he and Revan had landed hours before.

Revan took a moment to collect himself, cursing his armor before ignoring his weariness and surging forward, dodging the threat of the nearest Sith's weapon and slicing into the creature.

Running through the dark world's forests, both former Jedi tore through their foes, using skills honed by a lifetime of training under the Jedi and years of war and bloodshed. Losing sight of Revan, Malak continued forward, switching his blade off, and hoping to avoid any more of the Sith warriors. It had been this way ever since they had escaped Katarr and begun scouting the Sith worlds.

Revan was not having as much luck as his former apprentice. While the Sith were spread thin enough for Malak to easily escape, Revan found himself facing nearly a dozen of the fierce warriors. The nearest Sith, carrying a long spear, lunged for Revan, driving the point into the former Sith Lord's crimson breastplate as he attempted to dodge the blade of another attacking Sith. Revan felt himself being thrown back by the sheer force of the attack and was soon pinned against a tree trunk as the Sith's obsidian eyes gleamed. The spear made a horrible grinding sound as the Sith put more pressure against Revan. Seeing the opportunity, the nearest Sith moved for the kill, driving his blade for Revan's neck.

In a single movement, Revan brought his saber through the shaft of the spear and blocked the blade, spinning away and decapitating the startled Sith as it stared at its cloven weapon. Revan's lightsaber found the other Sith's throat as it moved again to strike him.

Exhausted, but far from spent, Revan moved through the Sith, his movements honed by years of warfare. The Sith warriors matched Revan as best they could but fell to his blade as he moved past them.

The former Dark Lord of the Sith ignored the moans of the wounded enemy and moved on, knowing that there were other Sith in the woods chasing he and Malak and knowing that Malak would not be able to wait forever once reaching the ship.

Switching off his lightsaber, Revan focused the Force around him, moving swiftly through the forests. He could already feel his connection to the Force slipping the longer he stayed on this world. Squashing the dread that rose in him as he ran blindly through the forests, Revan used the last of what remained of his power to guide him towards Malak.

A scarlet hand lashed out from behind a tree, colliding with Revan's mask. Caught off guard, Revan fell backwards, rolling immediately away from the blade that drove for his fallen form. The Sith smiled as it lashed out again, its curved sword locking with Revan's crimson saber.

"I never thought I would see you again!"

Revan ignored the Sith, backing away as he continued running. There was no point in fighting this battle. The Sith chuckled as he watched Revan's retreat.  
"You can't fight it forever! Soon you will be back where you belong!"

The Sith shouted to Revan as he inspected the scorches of his blade.

Revan stopped, doubling over as he struggled for breath. The Force was slowly slipping away, drained by the power of the Sith. It was strange fighting there, like fighting wounded. Paranoid, Revan raised his hand, channeling the Force and watching, satisfied as a small rock floated from the ground before he released his hold. Whatever forces where at work on Ziost was diminishing his hold over the Force, like a poison tearing through the balance and infecting him.

The shouting of Sith behind him spurred Revan into action as he began running again, ignoring the call of the Darkside as it promised him power. Power to fight them, power to salve his thirst and hunger, power to free him of his exhaustion.

Malak breathed a sigh of relief when Revan stumbled into the small, grassy field they had landed on hours before. Coming to Ziost, the seat of the Sith Empire's power was quite obviously a reckless decision, but a necessary one.  
"We can't keep doing this."

Malak called to Revan as the ship's repulsors began humming. Revan reached the landing ramp as it began raising, taking their small ship into the atmosphere and the safety of space. Both former Jedi were breathing heavily, grateful for the droids that worked the Ebon Hawk's systems.

"I... I think... I think it is time we call on the Jedi for help."

Revan nodded his agreement to Malak.

"I don't know if the Jedi will be much help to us. What few remain do not know how to fight with a diminished hold on the Force..."

Malak's lips thinned to a straight line as he eyed Revan grimly.

"You saw him again, didn't you..."

Revan nodded, still gasping for breath as he removed his mask and brushed the sweat from his forehead.

"The Patron seems to have some vested interest in reacquainting me with the Darkside of the Force. Bloody schutta can go swim in Hutt remains before I listen to him."

Malak grimaced at the mental picture, offering Revan his hand. Revan accepted, rising from where he had collapsed and staring intently off into space a moment.

"Why the diplomacy... If the Sith have the power to destroy the Vong... why would they even bother with outsiders..."

Malak's eyes glazed a moment as he was lost in his own thoughts.  
"If I recall history correctly, power is all that matters to the Sith. They are not so different from the Order we built."

Both former Jedi flinched.  
"Yes... but I thought this new order was trying to cleanse the bloodlines..."

Revan added thoughtfully, rubbing his goatee as his brown eyes turned to HK-47's charred remains.

"You aren't going to actually fix that thing are you?"

Malak asked with a pained expression. Having been labeled the jawless meatbag, even after the Jedi treatments by the rust-colored droid brought up painful memories. Revan shook his head, sealing the remains of his beloved assassin droid away.

"We don't have the time... I had some contacts I wanted to follow in the Wyl Sector."

Malak nodded, moving to the Ebon Hawk's starmap and frowning.

"See here how close Ziost is to Hydian Way... It is nearly center to that and the Perlemian trade route..."

Revan turned to the Starmap, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm surprised Ruuria hasn't fallen under their control... and even Telos, Force I've never recognized it before how close they are to the Republic. Its humbling in a way..."

Malak nodded, his eyes tracing the Sith Empire's hold on the Tingel Arm.

"They do tend to hold to the fringes though. They have holdings near Rishi on Roon and even on Mobus... Those are on three separate sides of the Galaxy and we know that the Republic only makes up a fifth of what we do know about this galaxy... That is including what we captured..."

Revan looked between Malak and the map.

"You have a lot of free time while I was getting chased?"

He asked, grinning. Malak rolled his eyes, flicking off the holo of the Galaxy.

"I'm just confused about how they can be on all sides of the Galaxy and still be so illusive. They are so close to the Aparo sector that they may as well call it their homeworld. And Roon is right next to the Abrion sector..."

Revan nodded, his features twisted into a grimace.

"The Twi-leks, the Kaminoans, the Bothans, even the blasted Gammorheans. If they move far from Ziost they'll have Telos and they'll cut off the Mon Calamari..."

Malak shook his head, sighing.

"From Roon there they can take the entire Corellian route at least to the Brak sector before the Republic can mobilize... if they can mobilize..."  
Eyeing the taller man with a pained expression, Revan lifted his mask, running his fingers along the crimson lines.

"Take the Hawk back to the Republic, send a message to the Jedi Council... If I know Vrook, he's out there somewhere plotting our doom."

Malak scoffed.

"Why do I have to face that bastard?"

Revan returned Malak's incredulous look without flinching.

"They are getting too close. The heart of the Jedi Order was once Ossus. What is keeping them out of the Republic, what has been keeping them out for a thousand years is their fear of the Jedi. They sent the Mandalorians in to weaken them and then you and I played right into their hands. You can feel it as well as I can, the Darkside reigns out here as the Lightside once did in the Republic. If they see weakness they will strike. That they know you and I have touched the Darkside is enough for them. Most of these Sith are descendants of Fallen Jedi and the natives of Korriban... If I can get to Ossus... perhaps fool them into thinking the Jedi are still on their doorstep it may buy us some time. They fear the lightside of the Force, they know it can defeat them and if the Vong were so easily vanquished by them, imagine what disaster would befall the Republic if they were forced to fight, without the Jedi."

Malak paled slightly.

"It would be a slaughter. The Darkside of the Force is like a parasite, feeding on the lives of its users and those they enslave... It may also be why we are so weakened. There is so little of the lightside in these places that we cannot fight it. Can you hear it calling to you, Revan?"

Revan nodded, his eyes unfocused as he pondered what he would find on Ossus.

"Find what you can, we'll take our time. Leave the Ebon Hawk the first chance you get. We don't want the Sith or even the Republic to track our movements. We'll meet on Ossus in... One years time."

Malak nodded.

"I'll instruct the droids to secrecy and I will see if I can find where the Council is hiding..."

Revan grimaced as he thought of facing the Council.

"I think you should avoid Telos for obvious reasons. I'll try to contact Atris if she is still there."

Malak nodded, grateful.

"If Canderous is massing the Mandalorians on Dxun and you are gathering whoever you can on Ossus, we should only have to worry about covering our blind spots near Ryloth and Dantooine. I hope the Jedi still have a presence near Ilum, it is close enough to at least keep an eye on the Mobus region."

Revan's brow furrowed as he pondered this.

"It would leave Telos vulnerable... but I doubt Carth would turn his back on his homeworld. We should worry about Roon. If they move for the Core worlds it will be from there. Onderon can stand on its own so long as they do not bait Mandalore and the Hutts and the Exchange should be able to provide a nice barrier for the Mon Calamari and the Quarren. If they move it would either be near the Tion or the Arkanis sectors. You should keep an eye there, Malak."

The bald man nodded, rubbing his jaw absently as he stared at the floor plating of the Ebon Hawk.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to work out like we want it to?"

Malak asked finally. Revan grinned, shrugging.

"We're fighting a delaying actions. Showing the Sith that we know where they are will be a nuisance to them and it is also a show of strength. They may continue to bid their time while we reorganize the Jedi... if that is at all possible."

Malak looked skeptical.

"I don't think your average Jedi can fight the Sith on their home ground. With the Force diminishing out here as it is, the only thing holding us together is our experience in the Darkside."

Revan continued to grin as he slapped his hand on Malak's back.

"Therein lies the beauty of this scheme. The Jedi will fight a defensive war, what they are so good at and you and I will continue to prod the Sith until they launch a full blown invasion. If we can draw them out, the Jedi can counteract whatever means they have been using to fight the Vong, free of the influence of their dark worlds. Free of the taint. I merely wish Vrook had not destroyed those rebel Sith on Corellia, they would have been invaluable."

Malak sighed, shaking his head.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Revan muttered his agreement, staring at his friend for a long moment before resigning himself to the Ebon Hawk's storage compartment where he recorded a short message for HK-47. Replacing the seal on the assassin droid's chassis, Revan frowned, recalling the message Bastila had managed to sneak into T3-M4. Shaking his head at his own dark thoughts, Revan renewed his shaken confidence in his programming. T3 would not tell Bastila where he and Malak had been. He had to believe that. If she were drawn here it would destroy her as it was he and Malak. The call of the Darkside was strongest out here, stronger than it had been on Korriban and the Star Forge and he feared seeing what it would do to the Jedi that had survived the war.


	34. Chapter 34: Preparations

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 34: Preparations

Ossus was as beautiful as Revan remembered. The sprawling blue-gray canyons of the former home of the Jedi Order's archives after they left their origins on Tython millennia before. The glowing white crystals that cast an iridescent glow over the decaying tombs of great Jedi long dead. The once shining spires of the forgotten Jedi archives, ruined by Exar Kun's lie as a mass of ruins, a testament to the ravages of the Great Sith War.

Wearily, Revan removed his supplies from his small corvette, the vehicle a cross between the flower-like Basilisk war droid and a Sith fighter and able to carry the supplies he would need. Sighing, the former Dark Lord of the Sith seated himself on a fallen pillar and gazed around the cavernous interior of the former Jedi Temple. Aside from a few randomly scattered tribes, most of the original inhabitants of Ossus fled when Exar Kun used Naga Sadow's ancient weaponry to destroy the Cron Cluster.

_"I wonder if Coruscant and Dantooine feel this empty..."_

Shuddering, Revan began setting up his camp, periodically making trips to his vessel. Spending the better part of a day, Revan began placing a series of emerald and sapphire crystals around the fallen temple, their cores charged with Force energies. Chuckling to himself, Revan allowed himself to fall into a deep trance, reassuring himself that the crystals would channel the lighter energies of the Force.

"This should get the Sith's attention... or at the very least any Jedi that remain out there..."

Moving through his supplies, Revan removed a small datapad and reviewed the information he and Malak had gathered on the True Sith in the past four years. Including their run-in with the Sith's sovereign leader, the Patron. After hours contemplating, Revan was startled from his thoughts by the sound of shifting robes. Raising his head from his datapad, the blood drained from Revan's face as he took in the form of his former Master.

"I see you are still alive, my apprentice."

Revan resisted the urge to touch Kreia, nodding his head and keeping a wary eye on his former Master.

"I am, Master and I am... surprised to see you are as well."

Kreia scoffed, running her hand along one of the various crystals Revan had brought with him.

"I am diminished, my apprentice. There is no need for you to worry. I am not here to kill you."

Revan relaxed slightly, his eyes taking in the battered face of his former Master.

"I see you have changed as well..."

Kreia's white eyes narrowed.

"Do not condescend to me, Revan. I know of what you sought and even diminished I can feel the scars they left upon you, as Nihilus and Sion left their scars upon me."

Flinching, Revan stood, lying the datapad alongside his mask.

"What do you know of the Sith."

Revan asked mechanically, sensing nothing from his former Master. Kreia adjusted the hood of her brown cloak, scanning Revan a moment before she spoke again.

"More rests on your shoulders than you know, Revan. Friends old and new will come here and in the end you will all mourn for that is the way of the Force."

"The Force is not a burden, it is a gift, why can you not see that?"

Revan snapped, taking a step towards Kreia. The old woman gazed impassively at Revan.

"Yet the Sith twist it to their whim, drawing the balance from it, weakening the Jedi. I can see their scars upon you, tearing at the light and filling it with its own darkness. The Force will never be balanced when the Sith unleash their power on the Republic."

Kreia walked in a slow circle around Revan, surveying her former apprentice and what the Council had deemed her greatest failure.

"You are strong of mind and body, but you alone cannot fight them. The very weapon you and all the Jedi rely on will fail you if you face them directly."

Nodding, the former Dark Lord of the Sith followed Kreia with his eyes cautiously.

"You still speak in riddles I see. Be frank, Master. Do we stand a chance?"

Sighing, Kreia ceased her prowling, looking suddenly very tired.

"I do not know, my Padawan. Once, perhaps but now there are too few Jedi. Too few who know how to fight the darkness. The Sith you trained on Malachor V may have been able to fight this war, but they are wasted on Hunger and Pain."

Narrowing his eyes, Revan thought over his Master's cryptic words.

"Nihilus and Sion..."

Remembering the names of both of Darth Traya's former protégées, Revan gauged Kreia's reaction.

"Indeed. The fools refuse to see beyond their own pleasures. They will do far more damage than you or Malak."

Revan's head snapped up.

"Then we must stop them."

Shaking her head, Kreia rose her hand to silence Revan's next retort.

"I have taken steps in removing them both. There is one whom I seek that has the power to end them. It was Nihilus who destroyed Katarr. Your efforts are more important here, my apprentice."

Hearing enough, Revan collected his mask and datapad, storming to his ship.

"It is unnecessary, Revan. It is already taken care of."

Turning sharply on his heel, Revan glared at Kreia.

"How many have died because you have not brought this knowledge to the Jedi. Nihilus was a weak amateur when I last saw him. What could have happened to allow him that kind of power? Why did you not tell me?"

Unmoved, Kreia merely stared at Revan.

"I must contact Malak. Together we can destroy them and perhaps even harness the Sith in league with them, use them in the war to come-"

"It is already taken care of."

Kreia swept gracefully towards Revan, lying a hand on his armored shoulder.

"You must stay here and gather what Jedi you can. Malak will do the same as well as Bastila."

Snapping his eyes to Kreia's, Revan grasped his former Master by her robes, lifting her from the ground.

"Do not interfere with Bastila."

Smiling, Kreia batted Revan's hand until he lowered her to her feet.

"She is alone, confused and frightened. So young and passionate oh where did her brave Knight go."

Darth Traya mocked. Revan scowled, turning away from his ship and heading back to the temple.

"Promise me you will leave her be and I will wait here."

All mocking left Kreia's voice as she responded.

"I promise you, my apprentice that Nihilus and Sion will be dealt with. I must go now to find he who will bring about their downfall and I will send him to you when his time comes. Patience, Padawan. There are more Jedi out there than you know and they will come to you, they will follow you and they will triumph because that is your destiny."

Accepting her promise, Revan bowed, leaving without another word. Kreia watched her former apprentice leave with pride.

_"A failure they call him. He is far from finished and perhaps he will triumph over the Sith."_

Returning to her own ship, Kreia smiled as she boarded the Ebon HawkHer meeting with Malak was not a coincidence. With all the pieces in play, Kreia went to retrieve the last element to her game. The Exile would return her power and with him would come the ability to activate the Trayus Core. The power to destroy the True Sith's manipulation of the Force.

_"There will be balance once more. There will no longer be the Force."_

A small smile graced the Sith Lord's lips as she guided the Ebon Hawk towards the Harbinger, where the last piece awaited to be added to the game.

Revan paced the forgotten halls of the Ossus temple nervously, wondering who this new player was that Kreia was speaking of and fighting his rising dread.

_"How could Nihilus harness the power to destroy Katarr and the Jedi in a single attack... Is that how the Sith were able to defeat the Vong? If they are that powerful, why haven't they attacked already..."_

It would be hours before Revan was able to fall into a restless sleep, his mind burdened with more horrors to ponder.

Malak was having less luck. After encountering Kreia and telling her where Revan was, Malak was hard-pressed to cover his identity from the throng of Republic citizens he found himself immersed in. Choosing Ukio as a strategic gathering point, Malak began to follow rumors of the Sith presence on Roon and began arranging for contacts to help him locate former Jedi. Given the amount of credits hidden in various accounts from his tenure as Sith Lord, Malak had little trouble finding vast spy nets and was slowly working his way into the Exchange's network, surprised when he discovered their standing bounties on Jedi.

Even from half-way across the galaxy, Malak was able to sense Revan's presence on Ossus, boosted by the Force-crystals the former Dark Lord had brought with him. Between the two of them, Malak was hopeful that they would be able to draw in what remained of the Jedi and Sith Orders and hopefully gain enough support to stand against the growing threat of the True Sith.

Awaking shortly after sunrise on Ossus, Revan went about preparing the crumbling academy to support what he hoped would be a small army of Jedi.

_"Eventually..."_

Revan thought to himself grimly as he scanned the structure of the decaying temple, searching for weak points where it would not be safe to stay or train. Hearing the sound of crumbling rocks behind him, Revan turned and smiled, granting a boy to the first of many fallen Jedi that would cross his path here.

"Revan..."

The voice drew out in surprise.

"Do I know you?"

Revan asked in a bored tone, already sensing the subtle light within the young woman facing him. Diminished, but not destroyed. Obviously a former Jedi.

"Fayre Nathron."

Revan rose a brow, taking in the woman's dark hair and pale skin.

"Alderannian?"

The woman nodded, withdrawing her auburn cloak from her cream-colored robes.

"I hear you are a Master of Nimian..."

She replied, withdrawing two sabers from her belt. Revan replied in kind, bowing his head.

"Do you seek a lesson or the challenge of a battle?"  
Revan asked warily, setting his weapons on a fallen slab of marble and removing the heavy layers of his armor to reveal his charcoal robes beneath.

"A bit of both."

The Alderannian replied with a smirk. Revan robe a brow curiously, taking both his weapons and crossing them as the crimson and azure blades locked before him.

"You lead."

Revan invited. Ossus had always been a world of study. Up until Exar Kun had murdered the Library's keeper it was a place where all Force-sensitives gathered to learn. It was part of the reason Revan chose the world aside from its strategic importance.

Fayre activated her own weapons, the twin violet blades pointed downward as she bowed to her opponent before advancing, thrusting with her right hand and slashing forward with her left. Revan backed away, avoiding the thrust and blocking the slash with both his blades. Fayre twisted, following Revan's movements and struck low with her right blade and high with her left. Revan blocked each in turn with his own twin blades, still keeping defensive, his arms spinning intricate arcs around him.

The Alderannian was surprised when Revan moved forward, his crimson blade held firmly in his right hand, moving for her abdomen. Moving quickly to block, the former Jedi used her right hand to knock Revan's weapon to the side, seeing a flash of blue and red as Revan allowed the movement to spin him away.

"Well done."

Revan replied, surprised that the young woman was able to call his bluff. He could easily have skewered her with his left handed weapon if he had been intent on the attack.

"I should say it is easier facing you without your armor. Easier to predict your movements."

Revan nodded his agreement. Whatever speed he gained from discarding his battle robes and armor was lost in the movements of his muscles. Making his attacks easier to predict.

"Defend yourself."

Revan called rushing her and flipping his right-handed weapon in a backhanded slash. The added strength threw Fayre off balance as she blocked with both weapons, allowing Revan to spin and kick her legs out from under her. Within an instant, Revan had his azure saber leveled at the young woman's throat and had flipped his other saber so as to defend himself if she should strike with her still active weapons.

"Do you yield?"

Revan asked, seeing the momentary fear in the young woman's eyes as she fell. Luckily she did not panic and move quickly or drop her weapons, both actions could prove deadly when dueling with full-powered lightsabers.

"I yield."

The auburn-haired former Jedi panted, deactivating her weapons in a sign of surrender. Revan did the same, calling an end to the duel and attached his weapons to his belt before offering his hand to the young woman.

"You've trained with Master Kavar. I can tell."

Fayre nodded, brushing dust from her robes and replacing her weapons to her belt.

"It has been some time since I have been able to face anyone who knows Nimian."

Revan nodded.

"You block too readily with both weapons. Keep a firmer hold and only use one. Jar' Kai is only effective if you use it for both defense and offence. Did you notice I only attacked with one weapon and when I blocked with both I left myself an easy opening to either dodge the oncoming attack or force your hand in where you struck?"

Fayre nodded, picking up her discarded cloak and brushing dust from it as well.

"Now that we've proven you could have killed me but didn't, mind telling me why you're here?"

The young woman asked, a spark of challenge in her eyes. Revan narrowed his own eyes, growing wary.

"You're not alone."

The Dark Lord heard a voice behind him chuckle.

"Well well well, I never thought I'd see you here, kid."

Revan turned, smiling when he placed a name to the voice.

"Do you like what I've done with the place, old man?"

Jolee Bindo grinned wolfishly, casting a cursory glance around his old training grounds.

"I gotta say its an improvement from when I trained here."

Seating himself on a fallen chunk of debris, Jolee held out his hand to Revan. Revan accepted the gesture of friendship and took a Seat, awaiting the flurry of questions that was to come.

"I'm sure you can feel that I've changed... The same can be said of Malak."

Jolee nodded solemnly.

"I know, Kid. There are places in this galaxy where only very brave or very foolish people go..."

Turning his eyes back to Fayre, Revan rose a brow.

"Is she your apprentice?"

Revan asked incredulously. Jolee gave Revan a mock-indignant look before chuckling.

"Oh yea, can't be a Jedi Master without all the baggage that comes along with it..."

Revan grimaced, glad he didn't have to deal with politics or being saddled with an apprentice since leaving the Sith and the Jedi. The grimace turned to a frown when he realized he had spent most of that time running and fighting for his life.

"Pull up a boulder and join us."  
Jolee called out gleefully to his apprentice, who gave him a scathing look. Shaking his head with another dry chuckle Jolee turned to Revan.

"Discipline isn't up to what it used to be. So, tell me why you decided to light a big Force-bonfire here."

Revan's lips quirked at that.

"Malak and I found the Sith's main world and their leader. Can't say I'm too terrible impressed with him, but he does have some serious power."

Jolee's brow shot up.

"Malak or the Sith leader?"

Revan glared at Jolee.

"Alright, alright. Serious dilemma here."

Satisfied that Jolee was finished with his rant, Revan continued.

"He calls himself the Patron. Far as I can tell he's old, really old and holds a very strong connection to the Darkside of the Force. He makes Malak and I look like blasted younglings. There is also something wrong out there. You may have felt it on Korriban when we were there but that was only a lingering trace, left behind by those tombs. Its as if you are drowning in the Darkside, as if it is snuffing out all traces of the light. Malak and I were so diminished out there we barely escaped with out lives. There is also the problem of some leftovers from our Empire that refuse to go down."

Jolee frowned, becoming serious.

"Anything we can do about it?"

Revan sighed, running his gloved hands over his face and through his hair, rubbing his temples.

"We've been... scouting for close to three years. All I can say is unless you can fight without the Force, or you are comfortable using the Darkside, there's not much we can do out there. I ran into another former Jedi that has a plan... I don't know if I can trust her completely, but she does see the threat and is at least taking steps to avoid the catastrophic outcome I am beginning to think is inevitable."

Jolee nodded, deep in thought before he jerked suddenly.

"When was the last time you talked to Bastila?"

The flinch in Revan's features was enough of an answer.

"Since a few weeks before Katarr..."

Revan replied quietly, a deep frown on his features.

"How is she?"

He whispered, almost afraid to ask. Jolee scowled, smacking Revan on the side of his head.

"Why don't you go find her and ask her yourself. You're the one who left her when her world was falling apart."

Revan sighed heavily, rewarded with another slap to his head.

"Hey!"  
The former Sith Lord snapped indignantly, rubbing his head. Fayre giggled, drawing Revan's ire.

"Don't you start on this too."

Revan warned, glowering darkly at the young woman, noticing she was little more than seventeen or eighteen. Old enough to be considered an adult on most worlds but still little more than a child and likely half-way through her Jedi training.

"I don't have the benefit of a back story here, mind telling me what I'm missing before you cut my head off?"

She asked, smiling sweetly. Revan's eyes bugged as he stood and began pacing.

"Why the Hell is all this happening now of all times!"

He complained, still rubbing his temples and frowning at the headache that seemed to stem from his brain.

"You okay kid?"

Jolee asked in concern, sensing the pain radiating from Revan.

"Yea, m' fine."

Revan muttered dismissively, blinking several times to clear his vision.

"Malak and I have been busy scouting the Sith worlds. We've located the centers of their power on Roon, Ziost and Mobus. Their Empire stretches along the outlying systems beyond the Outer Rim. It looks almost as if they took over what the Mandalorians left behind when they invaded the Republic with everything they had. I also discovered that it was the True Sith that pressured the Mandalorians into invading the Republic."

Jolee exchanged a concerned look with his Padawan.

"What can we do?"

He asked carefully, absently toying with his beard. Revan huffed, still pacing like a caged Terantek.

"Honestly? The Sith are all hack and slash and Force powers. Its going to be a messy war and we're going to have to fight it on their terms since we're going to have a hard time invading their space. There is something seriously wrong out there... something in the Force, as if it is poisoned. We can't fight them out there, not until we're ready."

Revan stopped pacing, turning to both of the Jedi.

"If by any chance you can find any other Jedi, could you send them here? I've used a lot of the money I hoarded as Darth Revan to send in for supply shipments and construction droids. Hopefully I'll be able to rebuilt this place by then."

Jolee stood, brushing off his dark brown robes.

"I'm getting too old for this stuff... But I'll do it kid. I'm going to leave Fayne with you. Make sure she's ready for what's coming."

Revan nodded, making eye contact.

"I'll do what I can."

Jolee returned a stern nod, saying his goodbyes to his Padawan and warning her to listen to Revan.

"You should really get a hold of Bastila, Revan."

Jolee called back, showing how serious he was by using Revan's actual name. Revan watched as his friend left, turning warily to Fayne.

"I guess we should get started making this place more liveable..."

Fayne gave the ruined temple a cursory glance before shrugging and following Revan to his ship.


	35. Chapter 35: Of Gods and Demons

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 35: Of Gods and Demons

Ever so slowly, Revan and Fayne began rebuilding the Ossus temple into what could pass as a rough training camp. In their spare time, Revan went between checking the long-range scanners for incoming vessels and training the Alderannian. Their next recruit happened to be an orange-skinned Twi'lek that Revan was inclined to believe wanted him dead but didn't have the constitution to kill him in his sleep. Either way, the little Jedi army was growing and Revan was relentlessly training the new student, Ira Man-tor or something like that, he only bothered remembering the first name, in their lightsaber skills and the more neutral aspects of the Force.

Frowning, Revan paced as he watched Ira and Fayne duel. Ira happened to be an expert with a saberstaff and was currently testing his skills against the Alderannian. The bronze-skinned Twi'lek was good, Revan had to admit and he was seeing the beginnings of some acceptance as to his former persona.

"Good, keep moving and don't worry too much about using Soresu. The staff's advantage is speed and offense."

Revan watched as Ira expertly shifted between an Ataru maneuver to a more offensive Shien form. Raising an eyebrow, Revan watched the fight, surprised at the prowess of both students. While Fayne's style relied heavily on Nimian she was using aspects of Sokan, using the debris to her advantage as she held the upper hand on defense.

Leaving the two to finish their duel, Revan moved to the small relay station where he intercepted any messages from Malak or Jolee and monitored incoming vessels, frowning when a shadow moved across the monitor. Receiving no communication from the ship, Revan secured the ships and returned to his two companions, waiting for their guest.

Revan ordered Ira and Fayne to stand down when the interloper arrived. Raising his hand in greeting, Revan was met with a sneer from the other man. Revan studied the man's features for a long, tense moment before he spoke.

"Talvon Esan..."

One of Malak's, if he recalled correctly. Also one of the few who followed them both to the Mandalorian war.

"How dare you!"

Talvon bellowed as he drew his saberstaff, igniting the bronze blade. Revan blinked once before drawing his crimson blade, leaving the blade deactivated.

"You and Malak both. I know what you two have done, I know what you are doing now, How dare you, Revan."

The young man shook with rage as he glared hatefully at his former leader.

"I didn't think you survived the Jaga's Cluster..."

Revan replied softly, his eyes taking in the gray pallor and the thick blue veins that pulsed beneath the man's decaying and scarred skin. Talvon's amber eyes flickered as he cast his gaze to the two Jedi flanking Revan. Both shuddered at the darkness within the former Jedi. Sneering, Talvon raised his hand, grasping for their throats through the Force. Both were caught off guard, expecting him to attack with his saber and not the Force and struggled momentarily while they forced the attack from them, bruises forming on their throats. Revan seemed to be unaffected, expecting the attack. Shaking his head, Revan activated his saber.

"No time to waste, watch and learn."

Talvon let out a roar and struck, thrusting for Revan and swinging his saberstaff upwards against Revan's parry. Revan refused to back away, using brute force to knock Talvon off balance. Twirling the saberstaff expertly, Talvon deflected Revan's high attack, taking advantage of his opening and striking low, rewarded with the smell of burning flesh as he grazed Revan's thigh.  
Revan ignored the pain, allowing the smaller wound to boost his opponent's confidence. This was nothing more than a lesson for Ira and Fayne. Raising his saber over his head in a flawless Sokan form. Striking, Revan forced Talvon to defend himself as he struck for various vital areas in a blur of movement.

Ira and Fayne struggled to tell which of the three crimson blades was which as Revan forced the other man to back away. Talvon was obviously struggling to defend himself, overextending and leaving openings for Revan to strike at before he was able to attack again. Finally breaking away by side-stepping, Talvon used a wide-swing, feigning and thrusting for Revan when his blade swept to intercept the bluff. Revan quickly compensated, ducking and rolling, on his feet several meters from the attack as Talvon turned, snarling wordlessly and slashing almost blindly in a fury.

"You had it all, all of the Galaxy at your feet and you gave it up, he gave it up too!"

Talvon shouted, twisting to his side to avoid Revan's thrust and holding his staff parallel to his body, sweeping it upwards and Forcing Revan to block as be began striking with heavy, powerful blows from both ends of his weapon. Revan reverted to a defensive stance, allowing Talvon to exhaust himself while remaining fairly fresh himself.

"You could have had it all Revan! You and Malak were Gods and you both threw it away for what? What did you throw it away for you fool?"

Revan listened to his opponent's rants, feeling the Darkside swell and bend to his opponent's whim.

"Freedom. Love. All the things that matter..."

Revan replied. His opponent relented his attack for an instant, displaying his disbelief.

"Freedom? The Jedi kept you locked away for years and you are still a slave to their teachings. Love? Where is the love of your life, Revan? Where is this great thing that saved you from greatness and doomed you to mediocrity? You will die here, rotting in your pathetic righteousness. You and your little students."

Having enough, Revan held his saber at an arms length, leveling it at Talvon's throat.

"No retort? You always were one for diplomacy, it won't help you now..."

Driving forward for a thrust, Revan watched as Talvon's staff rose to parry the thrust, the other end prepared to move for a block to whatever counterattack Revan would throw. Calling on the Force, Revan rolled under Talvon's blade and rose swiftly behind him, spinning as he reclaimed his previous position and ran his blade cleanly through the center of Talvon's staff and then his neck as he attempted to block his exposed backside. The head dropped to the ground, followed shortly after by the rest of Talvon as the blades burned for an instant then died.

Staring down at his fallen opponent, Revan deactivated his weapon and calmly attached it to his belt, drawing the hood of his black cloak over his head. Some of the things the other man said had cut him. He had been a prisoner to the Jedi and now he was a prisoner to the Sith. Not physically of course, but he would always be trapped in the mind set of the Sith. Knowing he would always be fighting the Darkside either on the battlefield or within himself and the part about love? Revan winced as he thought of Bastila. It had been a long time, time he should have spent by her side, helping her through the death of her mother and the loss of the Jedi. It was almost like falling to the Darkside all over again, leaving her behind to cope on her own while he rode off to fight again. It felt like betraying her again.

The rest of the night was spent in silence between the three former Jedi as they set up a pyre for the fallen Dark Jedi and burned his remains. Revan watched as the ashes floated into the night time sky of Ossus, remembering the funeral of another person who had been killed by his own actions, much to young and much to innocent to have died because of his sins.

Revan seated himself on a boulder, staring at the glowing embers of the pyre long after the fallen Jedi was reduced to ashes and the fires died. Pulling his cloak around him tightly, Revan ignored the chill that shot through him, looking past the pyre to the jagged mountains covered randomly by patches of brown and green woods, violet in the night extending to the horizon as the moons rose over the landscape. Reaching deep within his cloak, Revan removed a small rectangular case, pulling a small cylinder from the case and replacing it, lighting the end of it with his lightsaber.

"You're supposed to chew it..."

Ira called to Revan. The former Dark Lord shook his head as he took a long drag from the cylinder, allowing the smoke to fill his lungs.

"More powerful this way. Makes it more.. calming..."

Frowning, the Twi'lek seated himself on an adjacent boulder and looked out over the horizon.

"How long have you been taking that garbage?"

Shaking his head with a dry chuckle, Revan corrected his companion.

"Its Bota plant not Luna weed. Its supposed to heal the body and mind. This is just the way I prefer to ingest it... Its even rumored to give you a stronger connection to the Force."

Reaching into his cloak, Revan held the case to his companion, replacing it when the Twi'lek declined.

"From Drognar right?"

Revan nodded, feeling the healing effects of the plant take effect on his wounded thigh. Staring up at the late night sky, Revan's eyes caught the trail of a shooting star. Knowing some things were not always what they appeared, Revan sighed, rising slowly, returning to his ship to check the log.

Four heavily armored warriors stood silently at the hatch of their pod, awaiting orders as they each checked their comrade's armor and gear. dim red lights gleamed off crimson armor as the Sith commandoes prepared to scout for Darth Nihilus. Behind them, a figure clad in leather and silk removed her lightsaber from her belt, examining the weapon with sightless eyes before the lighting in the pod shifted to blue. Gesturing the each other, the lead commando, identified by a scorched charcoal hand-print on the back of his helmet opened the rear hatch, tossing a repulsor pod and landed safely below, followed shortly after by his three fellow commandoes and the Miralukan.

Revan frowned as he double-checked the data. It logged as an asteroid, but something didn't feel right. With all of the massive shockwaves pulsing through the Force, Revan had difficulty feeling out the situation, but he was certain someone was coming. It was the same chill he had felt when Talvon had arrive, only this one was different somehow. Hollow, illusive.

Sealing his ship, Revan sprinted to the fallen temple, rousing both of his companions.

"Something is wrong."

Ira scoffed, lying back down.

"You've just smoked too much Bota leaf."

Sighing, Revan turned to Fayne.

"What? It's the third time part. I really want to sleep..."

Jolee Bindo's apprentice complained. Seeing he wasn't getting anywhere, Revan grabbed Ira by his lekku and hauled Fayne by her robes, pulling both of the former Jedi to their feet.

"We are preparing to fight a war. I give a command you follow it. Pack up, get to your ships. Something is coming..."

Grumbling under her breath, Fayne packed her gear quickly, ignoring Revan's glare as she took more time than necessary before heading to Revan's ship since Jolee had taken hers. Ira rubbed his headtail, scowling as he merely stared at Revan. Giving up, Revan left the Twi'lek to his fate, moving through the decaying temple to collect the focusing crystals as quickly as he could and nearly losing his head as a Sith commando in crimson armor appeared out of thin air, swinging a vibroblade for his back. Wishing he still had his armor, Revan dropped the focus crystals, dodging another attack from his opponent and relenting that the Sith knew what he was doing. Calling on the Force, Revan focused a burst of energy into his palm and extended his hand, watching as the Sith commando was sent tumbling through the air before he collided with an invisible barrier. Two other commandoes materialized, holding their unconscious companion. Revan had time to activate his lightsaber before both released a hail of blasterfire.

Sending several of the many bolts back to the attackers, Revan groaned in frustration as the telltale blue-white glow of personal shields absorbed the deadly energy.

Wishing again for his armor and its built in energy shield, Revan barely sensed the warning in the Force as another unseen struck for him, saved by Ira's saberstaff perforating the Sith commando. The Twi'lek former Jedi joined Revan, aiding in deflecting the fire and exchanging a brief nod with the former Dark Lord of the Sith.

Seeing that their blasterfire was getting them nowhere, the two commandoes holstered their blaster-rifles while the third slowly came to. The two commandoes struck, one driving Ira back into a forced defensive while Revan countered his opponent, using his superior strength to drive his foe back. The third Sith moved to intercept Ira, seeing the weaker opponent and knowing that the three of them could strike Revan together.

Cursing, Ira dodged his new opponent while blocking the other, kicking the Sith's knee and rewarded with a loud crack. The victory was short lived as the wounded commando drew his pistol and fired a bolt directly into Ira's head while he tried to parry the other Sith's blade. Mechanically the wounded Sith turned, blaster still smoking as he leveled a shot at Revan's back and pulled the trigger.

Or at least he would have had a violet blade not torn through his forearm. Grunting in pain, the commando felt himself going into shock and did the only professional thing in his opinion, tearing a thermal detonator from his belt and depressing the switch as the Jedi attacked his comrade who was turning to the threat.

Revan dodged a thrust from his foe's vibroblade, grasping the other man's wrist tightly and ignoring the armored forearm that lashed out, striking smashing against his face. He'd had a broken nose before and the second of pause in the attack was enough for him to free his other saber and drive it into the center of his opponent's chest while the commando was poised to deliver another crushing blow to his face.

Brushing his leather gauntlet under his nose, Revan turned to see the beginnings of a big explosion. Throwing both arms over his face, Revan called on the Force to shield him from the heat and shrapnel as he noticed Fayne moving behind a pillar for cover.

"Well that was unpleasant."

The former Dark Lord commented, frowning when he did not catch sight of Ira. Seeing Fayne's grim expression, Revan turned his attention back to the struggling form of the last commando. Scowling, Revan directed the Force and tossed his lightsaber into the Sith, watching as the crimson blade impaled the commando.

Hearing a strangled cry, Revan turned to see another figure standing over a prone Fayne Nathron. Eyes widening, Revan used the Force to direct his blade from the dying commando towards the Dark Jedi.

Visas Marr raised her bronze blade, blocking the weapon's deadly arc before managing to slice through its hilt, sending both pieces to the ground. By the time the loss of the threat had registered to the Miralukan, Revan was on her, his sapphire blade hissing as it shot where her head had been a millisecond before and drove towards her retreating form.

Thoroughly angry, Revan advanced wordlessly as his opponent rolled away from his blade and came back at him. He had promised Jolee he would take care of his apprentice and now she was lying on the floor, a lightsaber wound across her chest.

With a roar, Revan focused on the Force, leaping over his opponent and striking from her other side. The move was anticipated and Revan, through his anger noticed his opponent seemed to be predicting his moved and was not even watching his movements. Narrowing his eyes, Revan ignored the coppery taste of blood as it continued to flow from his broken nose and shifted to a Juyo stance, driving into the Miralukan, Revan was surprised to find his lightsaber flying from his hand and into a stone wall.

"Well... that hasn't happened in a while..."

Revan muttered, twisting to avoid his opponent and having new respect for Juyo. There was a reason it was an unfinished stance. Leaping and spinning, Revan scissor kicked his opponent, causing the Dark Jedi to cry out in pain and fall to the ground. Not seeing his blade anywhere, Revan turned back to his opponent, raising his hand and forming a fist, sneering angrily as the young woman blocked the attack, rising swiftly and advancing with her weapon.

Reaching into the folds of cloak, Revan drew a vibroblade, taking a defensive stance and moving back swiftly, assessing the situation.

_"Something isn't right here..."_

Narrowing his eyes, Revan felt something on the edge of his senses that caused his to shudder, letting his focus on the Force slip slightly. Seeing the opening, Visas used the Force to pull Revan's weapon from his grasp and sent it sailing away as she had done with his weapon earlier earning an incredulous groan from Revan.

"What the Hell is going on!"  
The former Dark Lord shouted, feeling that pull on the edge of his senses draining him, feeding from him. Eyes snapping to his opponent, Revan gasped, his hand grasping his chest.

"This is a distraction..."

Visas answered Revan with a mere tilt of her head. Gasping for breath, Revan dropped to his knees, feeling his power being drawn from his, feeding some insatiable hunger.

"Block. Have. To Block."

Revan felt his power drained, still gasping as his life started to feed to hunger.

_"Take him."_

A voice echoed in Revan's mind as the hunger was sated. Knowing his power would return in time, Revan suddenly felt exposed, defenseless. The Force was there but it was a mere whisper of what it was before. It felt like it had when Mandalore had imprisoned him, cutting him off from the Force. It felt like it had on Ziost where he fought the True Sith, except even the Darkside's whispers and promises of power where gone.

Feeling his system going into shock, Revan turned his eyes to his opponent.

"What the Hell?"

He rasped, his throat suddenly feeling dry. The Miralukan's lips twitched into a small frown before they melted back into an impassive mask. Revan's mind played over his imprisonment near the close of the Mandalorian wars, his capture by the Jedi. Never had he felt so helpless to stop the invasion. The rape of his essence. Shuddering, Revan struggled to find strength to stand, seeing the Miralukan wave her hand and whisper.

"Rest."

"I don't think so!"

Revan snapped, using the last lingering tendrils of the Force to block the subtle Force suggestion. The Miralukan looked surprised as Revan stood and advanced, raising his fist to strike.

Visas ducked, avoiding the powerful blow as it grazed her veil, tearing it away as she punched Revan in the only place that would stop him. Would stop any man.

The former Dark Lord of the Sith's eyes bugged a moment as he collapsed to his knees, grasping his crotch and trying to force the pain and stars from his mind.

Raising his eyes, Revan saw Visas raising her saber to bring the hilt into his head. Reaching up, Revan stopped the Miralukan's action, tightening his grip with a roar as he attempted to overcome his nausea and pain. Visas cried out as Revan began crushing her wrists, his entire body trembling with the effort to remain conscious. Finally, Revan gazed into his opponent's features, taking in the young woman's pale skin and black hair. His gaze finally landed on her eyes as he paused from snapping her neck as he had planned. The two sightless eyes stared at him, the irises a dull gray. Shocked into his hesitation, Revan gaped at the Miralukan, one arm grasping her weapon hand and the other gripping her neck.

_"Just a flick of the wrist."_

The pause was enough for Visas, calling on the Force she closed her sightless eyes, drawing Revan from consciousness and trembling as she felt his grasp weaken and finally release as he slumped heavily against her. Something in her mind knew this wasn't right. Knew it was damning her but there was nothing she could do. She had tried countless times to kill herself, each time, Nihilus had latched on to her essence and drew her back, never letting her rest and punishing her with tortures she was certain the man before her didn't even know. Bowing her head in shame, Visas stared down at Revan's features, trying to justify making him her Master's slave as she was.

"I'm sorry..."


	36. Chapter 36: Exile's End

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Notes: Ah the Chapter we've all been waiting for. This is where KOTOR II is going to pick up. I'm going to replay the game and spice up the storyline a little as well as continue describing what is going on behind the scenes with Revan and Malak. Hope you all enjoy this next installment! As for the seemingly downgrade in Revan's power in the last chapter. I didn't downgrade his power, Revan is Power after all. Darth Nihilus was draining his power during that fight, feeding off of him. I thought I made it clear, but oh well.

Chapter 36: Exile's End

The smoldering remains of Peragus loomed over the hull of the Ebon Hawk as a lone Astromec droid worked frantically to repair the damage done in the escape from the Sith assassins.

T3-M4 slowly brought the ship's systems back online, guiding it to the Peragus mining facility. The two lifeforms held within its bulkheads were more important to the survival of the Republic and the Jedi, than anyone else. After years of exile, Ian Kenobi was returning to the Republic. The former war hero had spent close to a decade wandering the Outer Rim, coping with his loss of the Force. The rejection of the Jedi and of his comrades had cut him deeply. The pain giving way to anger that lay buried with the resentment of the Jedi Council.

The scars of the Mandalorian wars still weighed heavily upon the Exile. Stirring beneath the surface of his unconscious mind was a flicker of the binding power that touched all life. The Force had awakened within Ian Kenobi as well as his companion. The Jedi Knight Kreia.

_"Awaken..."_

Opening his eyes groggily, Ian stood with a groan, wrinkling his nose and nearly gagging as the scent of kolto reached his nose. Standing shakily, the former Jedi Knight surveyed his surroundings critically before coughing up a mouthful of kolto on the floor. Stumbling across the medical bay, Ian rested himself against a wall, slowly lowering himself to the ground and slipping into unconsciousness.

Hours passed before he regained consciousness. Rising slowly, Ian tried to ignore the crusted feeling of dried kolto and made a mental note to find a refresher as he ran his hand along the kolto tanks of the room's other occupants.

_"They're all dead... but where is the medical crew..."_

Not even knowing where he was at the time, Ian staggered towards the door, glad it was unlocked. Seeing three doors, one appearing to have been welded shut and the other locked by a console, Ian Kenobi moved into the only open room, grabbing a medical pack and going over the medical files, frowning at what they revealed.

_"Someone tried to kill me..."_

Not having a clue how he had gotten from the Harbinger to the Peragus mining station, Ian unlocked the morgue, hoping to find an air duct or another door that would lead out of the medical bay. He was greeted by two bodies. Checking the old woman over, Ian frowned, finding nothing of value and knowing the boots wouldn't fit him he moved to the dead mechanic, pulling the man's boots off and finding them only slightly larger than needed. Pulling a plasma torch from the belt, the former General smirked.

"Find what you were looking for amongst the dead?"

"Gah!"

Ian dropped the plasma torch turning around with wide-eyes at the old woman.

_"She was dead, I checked."_

Calming down slightly, the former Jedi Knight narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I thought you were dead..."

The old woman smiled, eventually relenting and giving Ian clues as to why he had awoken on an abandoned, or at least deserted mining facility, his only companion an old woman who's stance just screamed Jedi. Relenting to what the old woman was telling him, Ian scowled as he noted the miner's corpse was too small for him to ransack the clothing.

"I think you should stay here... someone tried to kill me when I was in that kolto tank... they killed all of the others..."

Seeing through his words, Kreia knew he was telling her he didn't trust her to watch his back.

_"Yet."_

She added silently to herself, bowing her head in acceptance and slipping into a meditation as her strength in the Force slowly returned, as it was within the former Jedi before her. Kreia chuckled at that. Kenobi had scowled at the thought of being compared to the Jedi, obviously the decade of wandering, blind to the Force had done him some good.

melting the damaged lock that led out of the mining station's medical bay, Ian was lost in his thoughts. The old woman had called him a Jedi, had spoken within his mind while he was in the kolto tank and the most terrifying thing was, he had felt it as well. Felt the connection to the old woman that he had felt a decade before. Maybe not the connection of a powerful Force bond, though he was beginning to suspect that was what it was becoming, but of someone who shared his pain. Knew what it was like to be diminished and thrown aside as he had been.

He had not been able to forgive the Jedi for what they had done to him. Instead of helping him, they had cast him aside, thinking him useless since he no longer felt the Force. He had seen the fear in their eyes as they looked at him through impassive masks, saw how they regarded him as a disease, fearing his fate would somehow fall upon them my the mere association.

_"At least Revan had apologized to me, let me know he did not know how to help and tried to offer help at all..."_

Frowning, Ian wondered what had happened to his friends from the war. He had heard rumors of a war breaking out in the Republic and that the Jedi were involved. Whether that meant Revan was fighting with the Republic or against it had not entered his mind. It was simply unbelievable what the Council had accused he and his fellow outcasts of. Revan would never turn on the Republic, he had sacrificed as much as anyone else.

Shuddering at the memory of the Mandalorian war, Ian let out a silent prayer to the Force, or whatever gods would listen to him to watch over his friends. Living the hard life along the fringes of the Republic had taught him what the rest of the galaxy thought of the Jedi. Reassured him of how right Revan and Malak and he and the others were of leaving the Jedi Order behind to fight for what they believed in.

The rest of the galaxy, on the fringes only saw the Jedi as a myth. The Jedi were the supposed protectors that would swoop in and rescue them from their fates, they had been elevated to nearly god status and it had all made the reality startlingly clear. The Jedi ignored the suffering on these worlds. The Republic did as well. They did deserve what the Mandalorians had unleashed.

The traitorous thought refused to leave his mind even as he ransacked a mining blaster and a vibroblade form corpses and fought his way to the administration level of the mining facility. The Jedi had hidden their agenda within layers of half-truths and hypocrisy. They weren't guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, they were elitists. They thought they were better than everyone else because they could feel the Force and while some aspects of their existence was noble, they only helped the Republic. Only helped the rich. The Jedi had become lapdogs for the Senate, negotiating treaties when they should be conquering.

_"Conquering?"_

The former General thought, startled.

_"No, subduing, rebuilding."_

The Jedi should have been working to build a better galaxy, one where all the people were represented, not just the rich.

Finding a switch that deactivated the droids in the administration level and a forcefield, Ian decided to investigate the newly opened room to find another surprise in the form of a prisoner. It was not the man's attitude, but what the man had told him.

The Jedi were gone, Revan and Malak and the Jedi that had followed them had fallen to the Darkside of the Force and had become Sith Lords. They had invaded the Republic and killed trillions of people. The entire galaxy had gone mad after the Mandalorian wars.

As he heard the tale, Ian grown pale, running a hand through his coppery hair and staring at the other man with startled and pained blue-green eyes. So pained by the revelation, Ian simply released the man and found himself listening to the other's advice. He seemed to know more than he did about how the galaxy, or at least the Republic seemed to work these days.

Despite his anger at the Jedi Council, Ian could not help but mourn the passing of thousands of his Jedi brothers and sisters. Jedi were their own family. Brothers and sisters in arms and it hurt to know that the family he had been thrown from had been so twisted that it destroyed itself. He could not imagine Revan ever raising a blade against Malak or vice versa. It had all gone to hell, anarchy seemed to rule everywhere and the more the man, Atton Rand, told him, the more he felt his duty that had been built in his mind since he was but a child in the Creche.

_"Jedi are protectors. Jedi are warriors of the people. Jedi are selfless."_

They liked to think they were at least. A pained expression came over the former Jedi Knight as he left his anger at the corruption behind him. It would do no more good. He was cut off from the Force and unless he suddenly regained his power, he was next to worthless in the grand scheme of things.

In a dark cell, Revan Bloodraven awoke, finding himself chained to a wall. Whoever had chained him in this cell had at least given thought to his mobility. He could easily pace the length of half the cell before the long chains would stop his trek and he could feel his strength returning to him. Seating himself on a hard bed that seemed to be part of the wall, Revan pulled one of his legs up, resting his arm across the drawn leg and staring at the door to the cell.

After close to an hour, Revan was rewarded with the appearance of two Sith troopers and a Dark Jedi, all dressed in crimson and obsidian. It was almost ironic that the Sith would chose the same colors of his clan. The Sith left a tray of food in the room before leaving with the guards with Revan found strange. Standing, Revan eyed the food warily. If they were going to drug him through his food it wouldn't work as well as they may plan. Being a Mandalorian and a Jedi had conditioned him against various drugs and poisons. The paranoia that came with being Darth Revan also cause him to seek building a tolerance to the various ways his rivals could overcome him through dishonorable means.

The food was fine, if a little bland and Revan began pacing the cell, feeling his strength returning. It was strange really. He should have been able to snap the chains and use the Force to escape but something wasn't right. The chains didn't respond to the Force and when he tried to reach beyond the walls of the cell with his sensed he felt nothing.

_"The chains and walls are likely shielded against the Force."_

Revan decided finally, still pacing like a caged Nexu.

Ian Kenobi dropped to his knees, screaming as he clutched his left hand. Atton was talking to him, but he couldn't make it out, all he could feel was the burning pain in his wrist.

"What happened, are you alright? Come on, hold it together... we're almost there..."

Gasping, the Exile slowly pulled himself to his feet, staring at his left hand warily, as if it would suddenly fall off.

"Kreia... I think... She's in pain."

Atton frowned, his eyes darting about, showing his concern.

"That pain is buying us time, come on."

Ian stared at the other man, nodding.

"Thanks, lets go."

The fuel line from the Harbinger ended within the facility, bringing the Exiled Jedi Knight closer to the Ebon Hawk and escape. The next surprise on the long list of unpleasant realities was the astromech droid that had assisted he and Atton in getting this far alive. The journey to the Ebon Hawk after was an uphill battle against raging mining droids. By the time they had managed to unlock the hangar bay and made it to the ship, the hangar bay was filling with Sith troopers. clad in their gleaming armor. On the edge of his senses, Ian could feel the Sith Lord Atton had dubbed.

_"Sleeps with vibroblades."_

He seemed to still be on the Harbinger and Ian could no longer sense Kreia. Feeling a pang of pain at the loss of the old woman, who was annoyingly cryptic but had helped him reconnect to the Force, Ian took his place in the copilot's seat, firing the Ebon Hawk's defensive turret at the Sith as the repulsors fired and the Ebon Hawk pulled away from the Peragus mining facility.

Feeling something behind him, Ian turned to see Kreia appearing seemingly out of thin air.

"Kreia... you- your hand..."

The aged former Jedi Master brushed off his concern, keeping her thoughts in the here and now as the Harbinger tore away from the mining station and began chasing them, firing a volley of turboblaster-fire around them.

"Oh, not good."

Atton groaned.

"If they hit us we're dead and if they miss us we're dead."

Atton complained after explaining the asteroid field's volatile mixture. His eyes hardening, Ian checked over the data while he listened to the others suggestions.

"Just keep trying to evade them until we clear the field..."

Ian decided, not wanting to risk a miniature supernova around the smuggler craft. Right before clearing the field a stray shot struck one of the asteroids, causing a chain reaction within the Peragus system. The last thing Ian saw before the Ebon Hawk was safely away in hyperspace was the brilliant white-orange explosions left behind in their wake.

"Well... now that we've destroyed a planet does anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on?"

Atton asked, managing to keep the panic from his voice. He had learned long ago that business involving the Sith was not something he was cut out for. Ever since he had tortured that young Jedi girl to death and learned that Revan had an interest in him, he had run and never looked back. One good thing about his conditioning by the Sith was that he was difficult it not impossible to read clearly. Something he could appreciate since he was in the company of two Jedi and droid that didn't know when to stop making annoying noises.

Jedi Master Atris opened her eyes slowly as she slowly rose from her meditation. The Sith holocrons were whispering to her, showing her Revan falling again. It didn't seem possible, she had seen the change in him, hadn't she?

Frowning, Atris closed her eyes and reached out, searching for Revan and feeling nothing. Had it all been an act on his part? He had left Bastila behind, but that was so he could do what was right, fight the true threats, wasn't it?

Feeling a cold anger build in her, Atris scowled, using the meditation chamber to focus her power as she sought any other Jedi, trying to find someone who was worthy of carrying the weight of the Jedi Order. She was so tired, tired of being the last, tired of being the only one. Anger and resentment grew. Betrayal layered upon betrayal. That was all Revan was in the end, a contradiction, a traitor and she would dedicate the rest of her life and the rest of what remained of the True Jedi Order to his end.

Then she sensed it, faint, almost weak but growing ever so slowly. A presence she had not felt within the Force for more than a decade and she felt her outrage grow. Of course it would be him, he who had followed Revan and Malak and had fallen along with them on Malachor V. The one who had murdered tens of thousands of his own comrades with his death machine. Malachor V should have been his grave, he should have died there along with the Force. The void he had left with the Mass Shadow Device should have killed them all.

_"But Revan and Malak survived. Their Darkness grew within them and shielded them from its effects. It made them stronger as if they had fed from the loss of those lives in that final battle."_

Eyes widening in horror, Atris felt her body shaking in fear. What if that was what Revan had been doing, where he had gotten the power to fight the Jedi's efforts to cut him off from the Force. What if he had learned how to feed off of death to fuel his own strength. That would explain what had happened to Katarr. It would explain how he had survived.

Feeling the string of tears in her eyes, Atris lowered herself to the floor, crying for the loss of her fellow Jedi and those billions of lives on Katarr. They had all died because of her, because she thought Revan deserved a second chance.

Second chances aren't all they are made out to be, Revan decided as the hand was removed from his chest. Gasping to numb the raw pain coursing through his body, Revan glared at the pale, skull-shaped mask before him as Darth NIhilus shook from the pleasure of draining Revan. The Sith Lord stared down at Revan wondering how such power could be contained in a single being.

_"Give him more."_

Nihilus ordered to a Sith medic, his voice a hoarse twisted slur. The Sith injected Revan without question, backing away quickly as the former Dark Lord of the Sith. His power returning and strengthening from the injection of Bota extract, Revan pulled against his chains in a snarl, throwing out all the energy he could get past the binders and into the Medic. The SIth was thrown against the bulkhead and crushed into an unidentifiable pile of twisted flesh and armor.

Nihilus was unaffected and merely placed his hand against Revan's chest, even as the former Jedi grasped it with one hand and slammed his other into it in an attempt to break it. Growling in pain, Nihilus struck Revan across his face, continuing to drain his power, continuing to sate his hunger.

Visas Marr watched from the door to Revan's cell as her Master finished, leaving the former Dark Lord of the Sith lying on the floor to recover so he could feed from him again. List in her own thoughts, she missed her Master's order and suffered the same punishment for her actions.

Telos was greatly changed from what Ian Kenobi had remembered. No longer was the world an interplanetary hub, bustling with space traffic and families visiting its lush environments for rest and vacation. Most of the world was a smoldering, poison-filled wasteland, the only protection on the planet's surface the massive shields that the Ithorians used to rebuild what was lost to Malak's attack.

_"Malak's attack."_

The thought made the former Jedi sick to his stomach. Malak had been a friend, a comrade and more, a brother in all ways but blood and he would have trusted him with his life. But this, this was beyond the Malak he knew, beyond what Revan would have tolerated. The Revan and Malak he knew had trouble looking into the eyes of children who's parents had been lost in the war. The Revan and Malak he knew could barely live with the lives they had taken in battle, the lives of their own comrades that were lost. How could they order the murders of billions of people?

It was too much, dropping to his knees, Ian cried for the loss of countless lives to senseless war. Cried for the decade he was maimed, separated from his Jedi brothers and sisters. Cried for the hatred and resentment he had felt for the Jedi after his exile and he finally cried for Revan and Malak, because if he knew he saw either of them again, he would kill them.


	37. Chapter 37: The Last of the Jedi

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Note: Set at the end of KOTOR II: The SIth Lords. Based on a Lightside ending.

Chapter 37: The Last of the Jedi

"There are things that cannot be changed... Things that should never have been... I have always known that..."

Carth Onasi lowered his gaze from Revan's suddenly cold eyes. It had been four years since he had seen the man. His last words to him words of hatred for shielding Malak. Now he could only feel pity for him. Revan's imprisonment by Darth Nihilus did not make for a pretty picture. The former Jedi looked like he had been stranded in the Dune sea and beaten by Tusken raiders. His hair was long and tangled and his face covered by a mangy beard. His black robes were worn and tattered, nothing more than rags and his body bore witness to many, many new scars.

"Was that all Bastila wanted me to know?"

Revan asked in an emotionless tone. The Republic admiral flinched. He was loathe to deliver the news and knew it wasn't right, but Bastila and her talents were needed, she had a new life and Revan could not simply walk back into their lives after four years and expect everything to be the same.

"She wanted to tell you herself... to let you know she'll still be there if you need anything."

The former Dark Lord smiled for a moment, his eyes focused on something only he could see.

"I lost the opportunity. She found someone who can make her happy and I am glad for her."

Revan's eyes flickered as he lowered his gaze to Carth.

"Where is she, Carth? And what the Force happened here?"

Revan briefly motioned his hand to the viewport of the Citadel station that showed the wreckage of Darth Nihilus' assault force.

"The Sith attacked Citadel station. From what Canderous told me, the Sith Lord was led here by a Darth Traya..."

Revan closed his eyes, reaching out through the Force clearly for the first time in months.

"She is no more."

The soldier frowned.

"How do-"

At Revan's bemused expression, Carth sighed.

"The Force, I got it. The Exile, Kenobi seemed to be building a little group like we had. Went after Traya. He must have succeeded."

Revan's expression grew troubled.

"Yes..."

The Mandalorian whispered. His heart aching from two losses. Despair does strange things to a man. In less than a day, Revan had lost the two women that meant the most to him. He could accept Bastila's offer of friendship, but they could never be friends, just as it was with Carth. Comrades in arms and mutual respect could only go so far.

"Where is Bastila?"

Revan asked as he pondered what he would do. The True Sith were still out there and from what Carth's aide, A young man named Mical had told him, The last surviving Masters of the Council had fallen on Korriban and Dantooine in the recent weeks.

"Revan... I- I can't tell you that."

The pity in Carth's eyes. There should have been hatred, loathing, perhaps a spark of joy at seeing one who had caused him such misery; but Carth was not that kind of man. He did not take pleasure in the pain of his enemies. He couldn't even bear to torment Saul Karath. He only wanted to put the memory of the man and his betrayal as far behind him as he could. Revan could understand, bear hatred, but never pity.

"I'll leave a message... for the others..."

Carth nodded as the doors to the small briefing room opened.

"Carth, there is one thing you could do for me."

"Anything."

Carth replied instantly.

"Continue what you have been doing. Keep the Republic strong and... on the planet below... in the pole there was a Jedi academy..."

Carth shook his head.

"The Exile told us the Sith had taken control of the base. We destroyed it from orbit an hour after the attack..."

Turning to the young, blonde man, Revan noticed a shift in the man's aura.

"Tell me what you know."

It was obvious to the former Jedi student and the Republic admiral that Revan was slowly descending into something neither man wanted to see him become. They needed him for the war that was to come. Spies sent by the Republic had painted a very grim picture of the capabilities of the True Sith and they made Darth Nihilus' feeding frenzy look like an afternoon snack.

"There was one survivor from the base. We've isolated her. The Exile told us she was dangerous but... she's dying, Revan."

The subtle coercing through the Force paid off and Revan made both men forget their conversation aside from the messages he wished to deliver to the rest of his comrades. To Bastila a wish of happiness for her new husband and family she had forged from her grief in the wake of Katarr and her mother's death. A time when he should have been at her side but chose war over his love for her, once more. For Juhani and any other Jedi to prepare for what was to come. For Mission and Zalbaar that he would always miss their wisdom. And finally to Jolee. An apology for not being able to save his apprentice.

"There is one more thing, Revan."

Feeling a cold chill run up his spine, Revan stared into Carth's eyes in a silent question.

"Malak was killed on Korriban."

Revan closed his eyes.

"How?"

With a frown of sympathy, Carth continued, though he could not completely shield his satisfaction from Revan.

"He was seeking a Jedi Master, Lonna Vash and was killed by her apprentice in his sleep. We haven't heard anything further aside from that, but Kenobi mentioned something about finding Master Vash and her apprentice killed by a Darth Sion."

Too much, he'd face the implications and sorrow later. He would mourn the loss of his brother in arms and mourn him well. Malak deserved a better death. To be killed in his sleep by a Jedi apprentice was a disgrace, a cruel joke. One would say it was almost as tragic as the death of Ulic Qel-Droma at the hands of a common man.

Sighing, Revan rubbed his eyes. It was strange, he could not sense a Jedi, let alone a Sith nearby. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him or Atris was so weak she could not be sensed, or the news of Malak's death was effecting him more than he could control. Either way he had questions he needed answered and Atris had always been dare he say a friend. She had given him a second chance. He could give her one if he could get to her in time.

Working his way silently through the Citadel station as patrols of the TSF and Onderon's military searched for remaining Sith forces, Revan quickly purchased a new set of black robes and tossed aside the brown cloak he had taken from Mical. Taking a few precious minutes to clean the filth from himself and tailor his appearance, Revan shielded himself from the minds of the guards in the Citadel's medical facility and found his lost Jedi Master.

Seeing Atris was like looking into a mirror to the part of him he kept buried beneath all of his anger and resolve. She was broken. Mentally and physically. A lightsaber wound marred her pale skin and while not mortal, looked like more than enough to take out a Jedi. The lightsaber burn ran across the Jedi librarian's abdomen and down one of her legs.

Placing a gloved hand against the transparisteel of the kolto tank, Revan closed his eyes, reaching deeply into the Force and pulling on what remained of Atris' thoughts.

_"Can you hear me?"_

Revan whispered into the Jedi Master's mind. Two sky-blue eyes opened, wincing as the sting of the kolto struck them.

_"I have to create a bond with you to heal you. Your powers are too far gone to heal yourself."_

Too weak to respond mentally, Atris attempted to shake her head, her face twisting into an ashamed grimace behind the breathing mask. Surprised, Revan wondered what would pain Atris so much that she would not wish to live. Perhaps she was ashamed of saving him. Or in so much pain it would be better to die. Not knowing that the Jedi Master had fallen to the Darkside. Not knowing that she had fallen because she thought he had betrayed her. The betrayal of Brianna being the final push that sent her falling.

Too many of her Jedi brothers and sisters had fallen. Too many had been lost and she had no one else to share the burden of being a Jedi with. To be alone its own kind of hell. Atris had for four years been the last of the Jedi. The only Jedi Master willing to rebuild the Jedi, willing to follow the Code, flawed as it was. She had overlooked Revan's transgressions after seeing the result of the Council's decision to Exile Ian Kenobi. Her shame at Exiling a man she had called a friend before the wars had driven her to save his friend in the hopes to redeem herself. At least in his eyes. She had hoped, perhaps that by saving Revan and reasoning With him, maybe even redeeming him or playing a small part in that redemption would allow Kenobi to forgive her for her anger at him for abandoning the Order during the Mandalorian wars and her decision to Exile him.

She had believed Revan to have fallen to the Darkside once more. All her hopes and efforts would be for nothing. Revan would return to Telos and murder her and the children of Yusanis. Then he would take the knowledge of the Sith holocrons and become more powerful and it would have been her fault. The despair drove her towards her fall. Anger soon followed and seeing Kenobi, the reason she would even attempt to restore Darth Revan was almost enough to drive her to the Darkside's promise of comfort.

Twisted by her own solitude, Atris finally fell when she felt the betrayal of Brianna Kae. Choosing the Exile's path over her sworn duty as servant to the last of the Jedi Council ended her battle With her own darkness. Instead of fighting that despair and anger, she embraced it and justified it. Her murder of Yusanis' children and her attempt to kill Brianna and the Exile was only an extension of her fall. No one would betray her again.

"Are you so lost you would wish death? The embrace of the Force is like nothing I could ever describe but to die a slow death, to have your body consumed by its own devices. Would you wish that on anyone?"

Revan whispered as he ran his hand over the transparent casing of the tank.

_"Rest easy, Jedi Master. I have no fight With you."_

Revan whispered into the fallen Master's mind as the shame she felt grew. Revan slowly reached out with tendrils of the Force, gently constructing a bond with the Echani Master. Feeling the connection With the former Dark Lord's mind, Atris knew he had not fallen to the Darkside, he had only been used as a tool to satisfy Nihilus' own darkness and that had been what she had felt. Now, Revan would know what she had done, how she had murdered and tried to murder the last of Yusanis' children. Revan had been Yusanis' friend and though he had killed the man, he wouldn't have killed his children in spite. He would know and he would murder her. He would give in to his own anger and fall into darkness once more.

Opening her eyes, Atris fought to beg Revan to let her die. Let her fall to the oblivion of the Darkside and spare himself from her nightmare. If Nihilus' torture had not pushed him to fall, the lost hope she could sense in him as he built the bond would break him. Revan was strong in mind and body, but not invincible.

Revan started in surprise as he felt the first inklings of Atris' thoughts. Pain, betrayal, despair, loneliness. Anger. A path he had followed for years and one he was finally overcoming. One he would continue fighting even if it would be alone. His torture at the hands of Nihilus and his dual purpose of entertainment and fuel for the Dark Lord's destruction opened his eyes.

He was not above right and wrong. He was not the Force's hand, forged to build the galaxy as he would have it. Sentient beings would make their own decisions and he was not the one to tell them what to decide. Malak was a casualty of his quest for power. While it had been to fight the Yuzhaan Vong at first and then the True Sith, he could not ignore what he had done. The dozens of worlds or the countless lives lost and forever changed by his own actions, his own greed to control.

In the end he was only a ruthless, power-hungry dictator. Not the Heart of the Force as his Master had once called him. Not the force that could make or break the Jedi Order, though he had come close. That right was reserved for the Chosen One. The Sithari as it was known to the True Sith. The one who was prophesied to balance the Force, destroy the malady that kept the future shrouded ever since the Great Hyperspace War. Revan knew he was no messiah. He was only a warrior, trained first by his own kind to destroy, then by the Jedi to protect he twisted his own skills to forge a destiny for himself and ended with damning himself and hundreds, thousands of his Jedi brothers and sisters.

Twice, he fought his own kind. First the Mandalorians and then the Jedi. The war was never about how many Vong he killed, or how many Mandalorians or how Many Jedi he converted or defeated. It was always about him. He was the battlefield. A teaching his Master Kreia had taught him and one he had dismissed. His decisions were his own and the war between good and evil within himself was blurred by duty and obligation and honor and lust for power.

The Darkside did not twist him, it had as much influence on him as the lightside did. It was only a tool, a tool he used to destroy. He did not rebuild the Jedi into the great vision he had wanted. The way they had been before Exar Kun. He had only confirmed the fears of the Council and his power, no matter how great only wrought sorrow.

"All my efforts were for nothing in the end... The Sith are still strong, the Vong defeated by their hands. The blood of countless victims is on my hands... I was only complete in death..."

Revan stared into Atris' bloodshot eyes as he spoke, knowing she could read his thoughts now and knew what he did.

"Perhaps I do see why you wish to die... to end it all. I can see now why anyone who has touched the Darkside would want it all to end... but that is our punishment. It will never end."

Sighing, Revan channeled more and more power into the bond he now shared With Atris.

"Perhaps we can walk the road to redemption together. I know your sins and you know mine, my Jedi sister and we can face them together, or wallow in our despair until the Sith end us."

Breaking the seal on the kolto tank, Revan used the Force to remove the barrier as Atris removed the breathing mask from her mouth and coughed up a mouthful of bitter kolto as she dropped to her knees and held her face in her hand.

"What have I done?"

The fallen Councillor wailed.

"What have I become?"

The Echani asked, turning her teary, bloodshot eyes to Revan's. Revan smiled softly, understanding on his face as he reached a hand down to Atris, taking hers in his.

"Human... only human."

Pulling the former Jedi Master to her feet, Revan wrapped his arms around her, uncaring of the kolto smearing his clean robes.

"We cannot fight what we are, but we don't have to be monsters."

Free of Citadel and safely away in hyperspace on a transport, Revan settled down in a chair as Atris slept, her body and mind still weak. only then did Revan allow his tears to all. He cried for the death of his surrogate mother, Kreia. For the loss of his friend and brother in arms, Malak and he felt regret for his treatment of Bastila. The twisted love that was mixed With duty and tainted in bloodshed and war and loss and camaraderie.

When he could cry no more for the loss of his friends, Revan laughed insanely at the irony it all. Here he was, his only companion the Jedi Master who had given him a second chance and now needed HIS support to overcome her own darkness. Life was definitely not good and in the depths of space, a single Jedi Knight had the same thoughts.

Ian Kenobi had seen Malak's body an knew he was murdered. In that moment, his anger for what Malak and Revan had done after the Mandalorian wars was lost in his grief. Malak and Revan were like brothers to him. If what Visas had confessed to him as she left Darth Nihilus behind to be undone by his own hunger was true, Revan was dead as well, his fate likely Nihilus' final meal before he attacked Telos, hoping to find more Jedi to feed his hunger.

Kreia's death felt wrong to him. As did Sion's. Sion had fallen so far yet he was merely a tool of Kreia, twisted by her actions as a Sith. Sion was too tired of his existence to fight on and chose to end himself. With honor. In the end, all of Kreia's teachings helped him to become the Jedi he was, guided him to the path of the Jedi and gave him the wisdom to see that any of his actions, no matter how small could have profound effects on the galaxy.  
Malak's choice to trust Master Vash had been well founded, since Master Vash had genuinely seemed mournful over his passing and her Padawan's fall to the Darkside. Then Master Vash had saved him to hold Sion off. Revan had tried to redeem himself, or in the very least make a positive difference as Malak had and ended up the prisoner of a beast.

"They deserved better..."

The Jedi spoke to himself, knowing where he went, he could not take the others. Ziost was too much of a risk, but he had to know what it was that was so terrible it influenced Revan and Malak as much as it did to force their hands in such an extreme manner. The others would carry on and prepare and train new students. One day, they would make a new, better Order and leave the sorrow and darkness of the Jedi Civil war and the Mandalorian wars behind them. Even the Mandalorians were redeeming themselves, choosing true honor and choosing the fight the coming darkness. Canderous was a good choice for the new Mandalore. One Ian hoped could fill the void that Revan and Malak's passing would leave behind.

As his thoughts followed the memories he had of his lost brothers, an Echani Jedi Master fell into his mind and Ian knew, then that he truly was the last of the old Jedi Order.

_To be concluded..._

Author's Notes: Yes I know, I will face your wrath. Bastila moved on while Revan was away fighting With Malak against the True Sith. I was building that up in the previous few chapters. If you were left alone by all of your friends and faced with the painful death of a family member, would you pine for four years until you found someone? The Loss of the Jedi and Revan's disappearance would be a reason for Bastila seeking solace in someone else. I read a review for the last chapter and I realized I hate writing happy endings where everything is fine. Through Revan, billions of people died. Malak fell to the Darkside because he followed Revan and it brought a LOT of misery and woe to everyone. This story is named Casualty of War because I felt I should write what happens when someone makes a wrong decision. Revan left Bastila to fight the Mandalorians then again to fight the True Sith and without a goodbye. (As far as I could tell in the games and how I wrote the story.)

Bastila I just couldn't see forgiving Revan again, or at least putting her life on hold to pine over him. War doesn't paint a pretty picture and most of this series is about Revan's road to redemption. At first reluctantly. He only chose to give Atris' scheme a chance to safeguard Bastila. I often wrote that Revan didn't believe that he could be redeemed but he knew he couldn't go back to the Sith. This is a consequence of his actions. The love he had with Bastila was a casualty of his war in a way. He missed his opportunity. I hope my readers find this twist interesting. I got the feeling there was something Bastila wanted to tell Revan during the scene in KOTOR II. This is just a possibility in my mind.

And so ends A Casualty of War. I will continue the universe I built for the story, but this felt like a good place to close this section of the tale.

To be continued in _The Tragedy of Darth Revan the Reborn. _An Epilogue told by Darth Sidious...


	38. Epilogue: The Tragedy of Darth Revan the

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Epilogue: The Tragedy of Darth Revan the Reborn

"Have you ever heard the Tragedy of Darth Revan the Reborn, my friend?"

Darth Sidious turned his golden eyes to his apprentice as he awaited the arrival of his apprentice's transport to oversee the final stages of the second Death Star.

"I have not, my Master."

Sidious nodded, making a small huff.

"It does not surprise me that the Jedi would _lose _such a tale. Revan showed the Jedi there was another way. He was cast aside for protecting the Republic against Mandalorian invaders. Alone and lost in his own worries, Revan overcame his foes and moved on to become a great Dark Lord of the Sith."

Vader tilted his head curiously. That sounded familiar. A Jedi Knight fighting Mandalorians and being outcast.

"The one who returned to the Jedi? The one who was driven to that decision by the betrayal of his apprentice and came back to kill him?"

Sidious smiled, pleased.

"The same, Lord Vader. But Revan did not kill his apprentice. Darth Malak was murdered in his sleep, for trying to atone. By a Jedi student."

Vader shook his head, watching his Master out of the corner of his eye.

"Why would a Jedi-"

Scowling, Palpatine cut Vader off.

"The Jedi are lairs, my friend. Remember that, always. Malak left the Sith behind and tried to return to the Jedi to _atone."_

Sidious finished with a sneer.

"Revan was captured after the betrayal and his mind was wiped by the Jedi. He was spared from becoming their slave by the actions of one Jedi. One Jedi who would stand by his side as his new apprentice. Revan started a war that lasted four thousand years, one that the Jedi believed ended at the Battle of Ruusan with the fall of Lord Kahn. One that was finished with the Jedi's attempt to overthrow my Empire."

Sighing, Sidious continued.

"Revan was powerful because he found the balance in the Force, he made peace with both the Darkside and the Light and he sought to teach this to his other Jedi brethren. The Council would not have it of course and their lies have poisoned his true fate. Though he never returned to reclaim his fallen mantle of Dark Lord, Revan became something even I can envy."

Intrigued, the only noise to come from the armored Dark Lord was his steady, mechanical breathing. Sidious turned slowly and smiled, knowing he had Vader's full attention.

"Revan broke a Jedi Master of the Council. Even after he turned his back on the Sith he created. He made the Jedi see that living without the Darkside would never be enough and showed her a new path. While this happened a new Jedi Order was rising from the ashes of Revan's war and sought to end the Sith. A tale the Jedi have twisted is of the Great Hyperspace war. The True Sith lost that war and were scattered, weak. The Jedi and Republic proceeded to annihilate them. Genocide my friend. They justified their actions for killing countless Sith who only followed the Orders of those more powerful than them. The Sith would have followed the Jedi then, would have seen the glory of what the Jedi had been before they all fell into their narrowminded philosophy; but the Jedi chose to kill them all."

Vader was honestly surprised. Jedi committing Genocide? Taking over the Republic he could understand, but Genocide against an entire race?  
"Do not fret, my friend. The Sith will live on forever through us. Revan showed the Jedi in his war how similar they were to us. Showed them by converting their students to his cause and bringing down his vengeance on a dozen worlds."

Frowning beneath his mask, Vader wondered what Palpatine was saying.

"Revan's fate was much more than a simple mark in history. Revan recreated the Sith and gave them the inspiration to fight the Jedi and, though it took two millennium, the Sith ruled the galaxy while the Jedi hid and regrouped. It took the Jedi a thousand years to come back from that blow and it all started with Revan's defiance of the Jedi, Revan's sacrifice. For that thousand years that the Jedi were sundered, the Galaxy was strong, could repel any threat but not when that threat rose from within. When betrayal after betrayal undermined their unity, their Brotherhood of Darkness and they were finally felled on Ruusan by Kahn's madness."

Vader tilted his head slightly.

"What was the tragedy of Darth Revan then, my Master?"

Sidious wore a delighted expression as his brows rose and he cackled.

"Ah, my friend. Revan left behind a glorious legacy that will never be forgotten but the Tragedy of Darth Revan was that he turned his back on power, on the Sith and tried and failed to return to the Jedi ways. His heart would not abide the Jedi's rules and the New Order would not accept him. Revan's tragedy is not that his Empire flourished and was reborn, Revan's tragedy was that he did not reap the benefits of his strengths. His final end... was strange even to me, but he made such and end..."  
Lowering his head in silent reverence, Sidious continued in a soft voice.

"Revan suffered for his betrayals. Revan bore the consequences of his actions with grace and in the end... Revan was betrayed by those closest to him, as you were, my friend. He forgave them because he loved them and they were his ending... Revan's tragedy was his rebirth, he is the only Sith Lord to have been slain and have risen from death by the hand that slew him... Always remember that Revan suffered for his love of his friends, of the Republic... Only human my friend... in the end, he was only human."

Sidious finished as a long silence followed his lecture. Rarely, did Vader see anything but mockery in the Sith Lord's countenance, but the reverence for the one who made their Order and a story he had loved as a Jedi suddenly had a bitter taste. The Jedi painted the galaxy in black an white, but there were always shades of gray. There were always contradictions. Perhaps his son was right and he could begin to atone for his past sins, but Padme... No, it was too late for him. He had killed the woman he loved and he could never go back... but maybe, maybe he could stop fighting against what was right.

"I will be along shortly, my apprentice. But there are matters I must attend to. Remember always the pain of Revan's life. As a Jedi he knew only servitude. As a Sith only victory and as what he ended up becoming... he knew only pain."

Vader bowed deeply and departed. Palpatine watched with a thoughtful expression. Ever since he had fought his son and maimed him, Vader had been changing. Rarely did he release his anger and more and more he was becoming the man he once was. It was time to replace Anakin Skywalker with a new Skywalker.

"If only he knew the truth."

Sidious laughed, shaking his head at the ignorance of his apprentice. Even after two decades Vader still justified his actions over the Jedi. It was never about the Jedi or the Sith, or the Republic. It was about power and who held it and Vader would know that in the end, know that his Master held ALL of the power.

The End...

To be Continued in: _A Constant Battle_

Author's Notes: Reality check. Get one if you believe in happy endings. Sorry but this time of year just depresses me. I think of everyone that isn't here and it gets channeled into my writing which is really just something I use as an outlet. If its dark, hey I'm having a bad day. If its light and funny, times are good but just look at past examples. War is never pretty and its always the innocent that pay the price. This story centers around a man who was the equivalent of Adolph Hitler and since he's in love and wants to change everyone is supposed to dance in the sunshine and say yippee? Want to see a great example of a tragic hero in Star wars and hate Anakin, look into Ulic Qel-Droma. This is my story and I'll write it however I want. Like it, hate it, deal with it. See that thing in the upper right-hand corner? Always there if you don't like it.

Wink.

Sorry, Channeling my inner Malak.


End file.
